X-Com 2: Choice
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: Despite what some may say, there is never just one way to do something. There are always choices, there are always alternatives. It just may not be a very good idea to pursue said alternatives. This is a fanfiction, I own none of the rights to any X-Com or XCOM franchises. There will be spoilers and references to my other fics.
1. Chapter 1

**Faith**

She knew her place.

She was a soldier for Advent and she knew her place. Hiloria Mox was not a common soldier, but she knew very well both her work and her duty.

Even when it disgusted her.

" _Leave them alone!_ " The human screamed as the stasis field faded and two Troopers took hold of the man to disarm him and lead him away. The antique rifle he had brandished fell to the floor. "You lousy alien _monsters_!"

Hiloria did nothing but holster her amp as one of the Troopers slammed the butt of his rifle into the man, sending him staggering towards the van that would take him to his new life. She was focused on the two smaller forms who were cowering in a corner. Neither of them were armed, so neither were threats.

"Dad..." The little human was crying as the man was led away, one of the Troopers binding him as a precaution. Advent had learned not to take any humans for granted. None of the ones who lived outside of the city centers -and some who lived _in_ them- were to be taken lightly. The small one was a female, like the older one who held her tightly.

The troops had come prepared for this though and the male hadn't had a chance to even raise his weapon before Hiloria had put him into stasis.

"We do not wish to harm you." Hiloria said calmly, holding out an empty hand to the pair who stared at her with a mix of anger and terror. "He brandished a weapon, I had no choice but to disable him."

"You invaded our _home_!" The older human snapped, her face a mask. She glared from the white armor Hiloria wore to the dark armored ones that were closing in slowly. "The planet wasn't enough? Now you come into our _home_ too? You _scum!_ "

She was working herself into a frenzy and Hiloria sighed inside as she drew her amp again and cast out with her mind, sweeping the human's meager mental defenses aside with ease and taking control swiftly. The young human screamed as her… her mother? Yes, this was her mother. Her mother convulsed as Hiloria took complete control and then everything stopped as the child rolled to where the human male's rifle had fallen and swept it up in unsteady hands. It looked as if she could barely lift the thing. All four of the remaining Advent troops took aim, but Hiloria was faster.

"Girl! No!" Hiloria said sternly as she made her puppet stand in front of the girl. The girl was trembling so hard she likely couldn't have even hit the floor with the weapon that had to mass a good percentage of her own body mass. "We have not hurt your father or your mother! Do not make us hurt you!"

"Yes. It is easier to kill us when we do not fight back." The girl said in a tone that was far too old for her apparent years. Hiloria recoiled as the rifle barked. The Advent psionicist's puppet fell, the human's head a bloody mess. Then the girl turned the rifle on herself, but Hiloria lashed out with her mind and the girl flew backwards to slam into the wall, sliding down to lie boneless.

"There was no need for that!" Hiloria chided the girl. A wasted effort, the human probably couldn't hear her. The fallen child didn't move as one Trooper kicked the rifle away from her still hands. Hiloria did not really need to but she went through the motions anyway. She bent down to check the human who had been shot and was saddened but not surprised when she found the woman beyond any help. "Is that one alive?" She asked the Trooper who was checking the girl. "This one has terminated."

The trooper nodded, picking the girl up carefully and carrying her towards the door. Hiloria sighed and knelt by the fallen human.

"May you know peace at long last, human." Hiloria said sadly as she closed the woman's staring eyes. She didn't know why she did that, she just did every time she found a dead human. "The Elders try and try to bring light to your world and you have to resist. You stubborn humans know no other way. We _will_ bring peace to this world eventually, but I fear what will be left of it afterwards. Rest now, foolish mother. I will help your family to find a new way in the Elders' light. We would have welcomed you too."

She rose from her knees and strode from the small dwelling, head high as the two guards who never left her side followed. She made her way to the transport and sighed inwardly again as she saw the human male sprawled on the floor. A soldier had apparently knocked him unconscious. The girl had woken as was struggling the hands of the Trooper who held her. She wasn't going to get away, and even if she could? The pod had come with another filled with both troops and mechs. Even if by some miracle she got free and fled? She wouldn't get very far.

Two transports were fairly normal for sorties this far out past the lines of civilization that extended out from the city centers. Inside those lines, things were calm, controlled and orderly. Outside? Anything went.

"Stop." Hiloria said firmly as one of the other Troopers drew back to hit the girl with the butt of his rifle. "No. Girl. What is your name? I am Hiloria. I want to help."

"Help?" The girl snapped, trying without any success at all to get free. But she wasn't going anywhere as another Trooper bound her arms behind her. "Your 'help' kills people."

" _We_ didn't kill your mother." Hiloria said with an audible sigh and the girl's face turned red. " _You_ did."

She nodded to the others and the transport took off, the doors sealing. The girl was trying to bite, trying to throw herself at the Troopers who held her. He was obviously losing patience with her resistance.

"Enough." Hiloria said mildly as her mind reached out to touch the girl's. The girl gasped out a scream as Hiloria reached into her mind and took control. It was harder than it should have been and Hiloria frowned a little. It was far harder than the older woman's mind had been to control. "Hmmm… What is…? Ah." She could feel the girl's mind trying to throw her out, but the waif might was well have been trying to physically throw the transport they were riding in. She had a great deal of untapped power, but she was also utterly untrained. "Your name is Sofia and you are nine of your human years old." The rest of what she found disgusted her, but she did not react. That was for later.

"Get… out… of… my… _mind_..." Sofia gasped as Hiloria made the girl's body sit. The Priest held her there while a Trooper buckled her in.

"You have a very strong mind, child." Hiloria said with approval. "We can teach you how to use your gifts for the betterment of all, but for now? Sleep. You will wake in a better place."

She tapped the bits of the female human's mind that would put her into a dreamless slumber and smiled a little as Sofia fell asleep. She reached out to touch the girl's head and shook her own.

"Advisor?" The Officer in charge of the pod inquired as the doors closed and locked.

Technically, Hiloria didn't have a rank. In Advent's forces, supposedly, everyone was equal. Everyone knew their place and everyone worked hard to do what had to be done. As with everything in the world that humans had squandered, things never quite worked out as well as planned. Hiloria wasn't an Officer, she was a Priest. She didn't lead, she advised and supported the troops with psionic power as needed. But only an idiot ignored a Priest's advice. An idiot or someone with a _death wish_. Their loyalty to the Elders was ironclad, but anything beyond that was on a case by case basis and most Advent knew to stay on their good sides.

"Mission accomplished. The male was the target of the sweep. The females were to be brought in if possible." Hiloria said with a nod. "Most humans are disgusting, but _this_ one has a great deal of unrecognized potential. It will take a while to test it and nurture it, but we can."

"Are you sure?" The Officer asked with a frown. Hiloria shrugged. "What about the male?"

"Mikhail Norgovord is a known dissident supporter. As you know, this operation was to apprehend him to be interrogated and then he was to be processed for reeducation." Hiloria paused as she scanned the man with a hand held tool and the screen flashed red. "Hmmm. His DNA came up flagged. It looks like his DNA is a kind that the specialists want for some reason. Once we land, get him into a pod and send him off to special resources. They will interrogate him and then do what they whatever they do. He will no longer be our problem. No casualties and the target was apprehended. Good work."

Hiloria put him out of her mind as she focused on the girl. She didn't really care much for humans, especially ones who pulled her out of her neat life and made her get dirty. She detested getting dirty. White armor showed dirt like nothing else on this forsaken world. At least she hadn't had to use her weapon. She hated firing the weapon almost as much as she hated dirt.

"Advisor." The Officer said with a grunt. "That young human will likely be trouble."

"The best ones always are, Officer." Hiloria laid a hand on Sofia's forehead in a gesture that was both gentle and possessive. "I will take responsibility for her, get her to the Center. They will see to her."

"As you wish." The Officer said with a frown as his com chimed. He tapped his helmet and then stiffened. "We are being diverted to a facility that is under attack."

Hiloria stiffened as well as the ship's engine changed pitch. The troops with her all checked their weapons and gear. For her part, Hiloria made sure the girl was strapped in carefully and the human on the floor was out of the way and restrained so he could not move. The last thing anyone wanted was a human loose on a transport that was about to go into battle. The ships were all automated and marvels of technology, but that did not make them invulnerable. Humans were _nothing_ if not inventive in finding ways to hurt others.

"Dissidents?" She asked as she checked her own rifle. The Officer nodded and she growled in annoyance. Dissidents were a very mixed bag. Some of them were almost as pathetic as Mikhail had been. Others _defined_ the word 'dangerous'. Some even had powers of the mind that rivaled Hiloria's abilities, but her faith in the Elders was strong and had always served to even the odds. "Silly humans cannot see that all they cause is suffering."

None of the troops answered her, but she hadn't really expected an answer. Reasoned discourse wasn't an Advent thing generally, especially when there was a battle to fight.

"Thirty to dirt!" The Officer called and then snapped. "Battle is ongoing. A dissident force has assaulted the facility. Some reports say they planted explosives, but our reinforcements caught them before they could evacuate."

"The dissidents will fall." Hiloria said firmly as she hefted her rifle. " _The Elders will it._ " This was a shout and the others took up the cry as the ship slowed and the door on the right side of the ship slid open to chaos.

A red flare shone on the ground, the drop point for the troops. Hiloria could see bodies lying every which way, Advent bodies. Maybe two humans lay still, but no more than that. The ship slowed to a stop and Hiloria jumped even as the rest of the pod did the same. Two Troopers, the Officer and Hiloria hit the ground in the same instant.

"Look out!" One of the troopers managed to scream before his head exploded with the distinctive whip-crack of a high velocity round. The crack suggested that these dissidents were using chemical propellant weapons, but those were no less dangerous in trained or fanatic hands than the most advanced beam weapons. Hiloria rolled into cover behind a large rock, the remainder of her pod doing the same as fire came from dissident positions, at least four of them.

There were other Advent forces on the ground firing at the dissidents however and Hiloria nodded to herself as she saw the battle as it was playing out. The dissidents were trapped in the facility. If they had managed to set charges, then they were dead if they stayed there. Maybe they didn't care? Some dissidents were fanatic enough to use suicide tactics. Luckily, not all of them were so stupid.

"There!" The Officer called as a human broke cover and rushed the line of Advent. Hiloria fired and she wasn't alone. The Priest expected the crazy to be filled with holes before he made it halfway, but somehow, his speed mixed with his evasive path allowed him to close with the line. He was _glowing!_

"Templar!" The scream came from a pair of Troopers who had been in cover behind a log as the oddly garbed human closed with them. Then his arms flashed with blue energy and both fell to lie still.

"No!" Hiloria snapped as other humans ran from the facility in the direction the Templar had gone. She threw Stasis at one and he jerked to a halt, the blue sphere blocking any attempt at aid or escape. But… Her mind froze as she got a good look at the dissident and it _wasn't_ a human! The form wore battered _Advent armor_ and…

"Down!" The other Trooper threw himself at Hiloria and knocked her down as a bullet passed through where she had been. He rolled to his feet, only to scream as blue energy coruscated around him. He jerked and then fell to lie silent and still. Hiloria spun to see the Templar approaching, crystals extending from his gauntlets.

Hiloria activated her amp, reached out with her mind and ran into a solid wall of psionic force.

 _Oh no, you don't, you Advent scum._ The male voice in her mind was coldly mocking as the Templar reached her. Before she could even think about attacking or retreating, his hands went back and blue blades snapped into existence around each of them.

The impact was enough to drive her to her knees, and for a moment, she felt panic rise. Then her power flared, the Elders' blessing settling around her in a blue sphere. For an eternity, maybe ten milliseconds, there was no pain and then it hit her like a tidal wave.

 _You cannot hold that up forever! Drop it and die, you evil monster!_ The cold voice was everywhere.

 _The Elders protect!_ Hiloria managed as her world suddenly turned bright.

* * *

Nearby

The XCOM team retreated as the flashbang grenades detonated and every Advent troop in the area was suddenly blinded for a few critical seconds. Just long enough.

They all ran for the distant square of blue dots that showed where the Skyranger was hovering invisibly. Two of them carried still forms. One of them groaned, the other would never speak again.

"Keep up!" The Templar snapped to the Skirmisher who growled at him. "I am not going to carry your smelly ass."

" _I_ am not the one who left an enemy alive behind us." The Skirmisher replied as he ran, easily keeping pace with the rest of the team. He looked back and the blue sphere was still there, still solid. A _powerful_ mind was holding that just as it had held him for a moment.

"The blast will probably kill it." The Templar said with glee. "If not? Its masters will for failing."

"You do not know what you are talking about." The former Advent Trooper said with a sigh as he ran into the square and turned, his bullpup rifle aimed back the way they had come. Nothing followed them. Any Advent back at the facility were going to be busy. He watched as the facility seemed to shudder and then vomit debris and smoke. "You do not know what that was."

"Advent psionic. Big freaking deal." The Templar reached for the line that fell toward his hands and then he zipped out of sight up into the waiting ship.

The Skirmisher kept his weapon trained on the burning facility as the others were lifted up, two of them holding their fallen comrades. Then the sniper came running into the clearing and he nodded to her. She ignored him as she always did, but his duty was clear as always. Betos had ordered, he would obey. She was the last of the deployed team and with her arriving, he could go. But he wouldn't until she was clear. He didn't like the people he had been commanded to work with, but he _would_ work with them.

He had no way of seeing the Reaper's expression, but her posture was furious as she slung her rifle and grabbed a rope. She slid out of sight and he nodded back to the facility that was still burning as he slung his own weapon and grasped a rope himself. As he was drawn up into the Skyranger he heard another explosion in the distance.

As the hatch slid closed behind him, he stared back at the facility and shook his head.

"This is not good." The Skirmisher said with a sigh as he sat and took a deep breath. "We need to warn the Commander about the one you left alive."

"What?" The Templar demanded, his voice sharp. "We won! That facility is dust!"

"You hit her with your blades. You touched her with your mind." The human/alien hybrid's words were not a question. "Do you have any idea how _bad_ an idea that was?"

"What?" The Templar demanded. "It is an Advent goon! Mindless. Hopeless."

"No." The Skirmisher said flatly. "It was an Advent _Priest_. One of the Elder's most devoted servants. You better pray she is dead or she _will_ track you and _us_."

"You sound afraid." The Templar sniffed. He was not expecting the Skirmisher to snort.

"I am wary." The former Advent trooper said with a shrug as he sat back. He noted the Reaper was also tense. "But that is because I am smart enough not to let one of the Elder's psychics get a taste of my mind. They can be a bit single minded about tracking people down." He shook his head. "Pity that Trooper moved her. That was a good shot."

He complimented the Reaper who ignored him. He didn't expect anything else. She didn't like or trust him any more than he liked or trusted her. But she hadn't shot him. Neither of them had shot the Templar and the Templar hadn't cut either of them.

This might work, even if he _did_ think the XCOM Commander had flipped for wanting all three of their groups to work together.

* * *

 **I will try to only say this once. War of the Chosen, the new X-Com 2 expansion, ROCKS!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Solace**

Hiloria didn't hurt now, which was a vast improvement.

The pod she had been with had been devastated by the dissidents as they had fled. She was the only survivor. When her stasis bubble had faded, she had collapsed to her knees, but it had held long enough for the blast waves that had destroyed the facility to pass. Few of her colleagues had been so lucky.

She hated fieldwork. She hated being dirty. She hated her weapon. But most of all? She _hated_ feeling _helpless_. She had managed to save _two_ of the dozen Advent troops who had been fighting beside her trying to hold the dissidents in place. They had failed. The force they had faced had been overwhelming, but still... They had failed the Elders.

Three more transports had landed troops even as Hiloria had lost her last patient and the troops had fanned out, sweeping the area for any hidden clues or survivors. So far, there was nothing. The two survivors were being moved into a transport and an Officer waved Hiloria in as well. She bristled, but then nodded. She was still injured even after some quick battlefield care by a Shieldbearer. She strode to the transport without a backward glance and it was the same transport she had ridden in to get to this doomed place. Sofia and Mikhail slept in their bonds and Hiloria sat down on a bench, weary beyond words. Another white armored form was bent over the two Troopers who Hiloria had saved and looked up at her.

 _Are you all right?_ The kindness in the other's mind was a balm to Hiloria's tormented soul. Her sister Milodi was a good spirit, both devout and compassionate.

 _Not really._ Hiloria replied as she leaned back. _There is no pain now, but that is not a good thing. I better take it easy or I may do more damage since I cannot feel it. I will need some repairs. How are they?_

 _They are alive, thanks to you._ Milodi moved to sit beside Hiloria, a scanner appearing in her hands. She winced as she perused the readings. _Ouch._ The other said weakly. _Blasted dissidents. They nearly killed you, sister._ _You need surgery and some time in_ _meditation_ _._

 _I know._ Hiloria said with a sigh as she sat back and let Milodi work. _It was one of the Templar cultists. He tore through us like we were not even there. If not for the Elder's blessing, I would be dead too._

 _Oh, Hiloria._ Milodi embraced her sister gently. _I am sorry. I know how much you hate fieldwork._

 _The Elders call and we go._ Hiloria said weakly. _But yeah. I much prefer my lab or a meditation cell._

 _The Elders call._ Milodi chided her sister gently. _We obey._

 _Yes, we do._ Hiloria sighed again, relaxing fully for the first time since her pod had dropped her into the firestorm. _I am stressed. I will do penance once I am healed. For now? This girl has power, but it is untrained._ Milodi stiffened, looking at Sofia and Hiloria nodded. _She has been traumatized, both by what happened and what happened to her before._

 _Before?_ Milodi asked carefully. Hiloria sent a burst of information to the other priest and Milodi actually gasped aloud in horror. _Oh! By the_ **Elders!** _That is_ **evil!**

 _Yeah._ _Small wonder she shot her mother._ Hiloria slumped a bit. _I know my dislike for humans is irrational. A product of my own creation using human DNA, but this... This kind of thing makes me very angry._

 _Every one of us is going to be angry._ Milodi said with an audible snarl. _This girl needs help. A lot of it._

 _She will need to forget._ Hiloria laid a hand on Sofia's slumbering brow. She went still as Milodi pulled her hand away. _Sister!_

 _You are hurt and in no shape to do delicate mental tinkering._ The other priest's mental tone brooked no insubordination. _She is asleep and will remain that way. It is not our place to judge such things. You know this._

 _I…_ Hiloria slumped in her seat. _I do. Apologies, sister. It has been a bad day. My instincts tell me to ease the girl's pain and my intellect says I am too weak. I may also be tainted. The Templar touched my mind when he hit me._

It hurt when Milodi pulled away from her, but Hiloria understood. Did she ever.

Advent Priests wore white because they were supposed to be pure. The psionic links to the Elders that all Advent shared were stronger and better defined in each Priest. They were dedicated to the Elders from the moment they were created. Their power and purity were symbols to all of Advent of the Elder's own power and purity. Hiloria and her sisters served the Elders as acolytes, proselytizing the way of enlightenment to any and all who would hear it.

"We will both be vetted." Milodi said aloud as she checked Sofia's vitals again. "You are hurt and sick. I regret nothing, sister. The Elders protect."

"The Elders protect." Hiloria sank back in her seat and closed her eyes. Just for a moment. She would rest her eyes for just a…

* * *

She was floating on a sea of bliss, surrounded by purple energy that she recognized and greeted with joy.

 _ **Welcome Daughter.**_

The voice was not one, it was many and it was everywhere. She knew these voices, she had heard them her whole life.

 _Elders._ Hiloria managed as she focused her will and lowered herself to her knees in this mental plane. _I failed._

 _ **You did everything you could.**_ As always, the feeling of the minds of her gods soothed her, bouyed her up into their midst. She was smaller than them and always would be. They didn't judge her for that though. She was what she was, their servant. _**This hurt you**_ _ **both physically and mentally**_ _ **.**_

 _I am glad it was me and not Milodi._ Hiloria said as her form was speared with energy. It didn't hurt, far from it. She felt revitalized, stronger than ever. She sighed in relief as the pain in her mind faded. _She is such a gentle soul. I am not._

 _ **We ask too much of you.**_ Was that _shame_ in the Elder's voice? Hiloria stiffened. _**Of you all.**_

 _No!_ Hiloria pleaded. _We serve willingly. Gratefully. You have given us everything. We serve because we must repay some of what we owe. The pain and loss is regrettable, but we serve because we must. I have no regrets!_ She said as she bowed her head.

 _ **Your body will heal, daughter.**_ The Elders promised. _**Your mind will take more time to heal, but you will. The girl you found, we see in your mind.**_ _ **So young and so hurt.**_ _ **You wish to aid her?**_

 _I do._ Hiloria said with a nod. _I think she may be a good candidate for our Order in time._

 _ **She must be eased into such a role. It cannot be forced as you well know.**_ The Elders sounded speculative now. Hiloria bowed her head. _**It may not work, daughter.**_ They warned.

 _I know._ Hiloria said with a small whimper as the Elder's sorrow washed over her. Only they knew how many had tried to ascend to the Priest's ranks and failed. She did know that failing such a test was always lethal to the aspirant. _She deserves better than to live out her days chained to a wall for the pleasure of a human animal. Even if the animal bore her into the world._ Fury sang in her mental tone and she fought to tamp it down.

 _ **Your hatred for the humans is strong, daughter.**_ The Elders were sad now. _**Not all of them are such monsters. You know this.**_

 _I do._ Hiloria agreed. _But it is as much part of me as the bits of my DNA that came from them. It makes me who I am._

 _ **Yes, but hate will destroy you in the end and that would be sad.**_ The Elders chided her gently. There was nothing bad in their censure, just an acknowledgment of herfailings. Hiloria took it as the admonishment was meant. To guide her to a higher level of understanding. Something she had been striving for her entire life. _**You need to move past that or you will never be who you were meant to be.**_ _ **You know this.**_

 _I do._ Hiloria accepted the rebuke. It was nothing less than the truth. She was very flawed. _I will need time to heal. While I am healing, I will do penance and think on my failures._

 _ **That is good, Daughter.**_ The Elder's love washed over Hiloria again and she smiled as their energy bathed her in its radiance. It felt heavenly. _**We think we may know how to aid you in such a quest.**_

 _How may I serve?_ Hiloria asked. _I need to be vetted_ _and purified_ _. I touched an_ _evil_ _mind. It hurt._ Even here, even now, she couldn't resist a shudder at the memory of the cold, hard human mind that had assaulted hers. Something touched her and she was comforted.

 _ **The Templars are playing with things they do not**_ _ **truly**_ _ **understand.**_ The Elders were so sad now that Hiloria felt her eyes start to burn. _**You will need time and care, but you will heal. Maybe in time you can find the evil one who hurt you, maybe you cannot. For now? Rest, heal. Tend your new aspirant.**_ Hiloria felt hope blossom and the Elder's joy reverberated through her. _**Yes. We accept your wish to train the girl. You will need time and so will she. We will aid you as we can**_.

 _Thank you._ Hiloria said fervently, but she was alone now.

She jerked awake as the transport lurched. She looked around, but the scene hadn't changed. Milodi was on her knees tending Mikhail. Sofia slept and the two hurt Troopers were unconscious as well.

"You heard." Hiloria said mildly. Milodi nodded.

"The Strictures are clear. _We_ cannot touch you mind to mind until you have gone through purification." Milodi rose from what she was doing and moved to sit beside Hiloira. Her visible face under her helmet held a smile. "But the Elders shared that with all of us." Her smile faded as she looked at Sofia. "It has been some time since we had an aspirant. Let alone one so hurt and abused. Are you sure we can help her?"

"The Elders have decreed her a place." Hiloria laid a hand on Sofia's. The girl muttered in her sleep, but did not wake. "We will need to do a full workup." She shook her head. "And we will need to take it out. Better she is asleep for that."

"What kind of a _monster_ does that to their own _daughter_?" Milodi said with a scowl that faded as Hiloria gave her a hug. "I… I never really understood your hate for humans. But this? It is hard not to hate." She was crying softly and Hiloria just held her.

"I am what I am. The Elders made me, but I am flawed through no fault of theirs." Hiloria let Milodi cling as her sister cried. She was much younger than Hiloria. "The best workmanship in the universe will not make a masterpiece if the material used to make it is unsound. Human DNA has many marvels in its makeup, but it also has many pitfalls. We are part human, sister. We are flawed. Never forget that."

"I won't." Milodi said sadly as Hiloria gave her a final hug and released her.

Both of them sat up straighter as the transport's engine hum changed pitch. It was landing. Hiloria laid a hand on Sofia as the deck beneath them shuddered one and was still. The engine noise faded. They were down. Both hatches opened and they saw a crowd of Advent personnel arrayed outside along with another form in white armor. None of the Priests moved as the two hurt Troopers and Mikhail were lifted up and carried away. The Troopers would go to healing, the human to interrogation. None of that was the Priests' concern.

"Sisters." The Priest outside said quietly as two white garbed hybrid medics moved to examine Sofia. "We are prepared."

"We both need purification." Hiloria said with a nod. "I touched an evil mind and Milodi touched my mind."

"Yes." Sister Amadri was a quiet soul, but she was also the eldest at this particular Enlightenment Center. There was no actual rank involved, but there was a great deal of respect for her seniority and wisdom. "We heard your discussion with the Elders. They allow this girl to seek the Way. Medic? How is she?"

"Priest Hiloria's scans were thorough." The white clad hybrid bowed to Hiloria who nodded in response. "The human Sofia shows many old injuries, She is malnourished, a bit dehydrated and..." He broke off and made a face. "She is about six weeks into the human reproduction cycle."

"Sister Amadri..." Milodi said weakly. "If it is six weeks old..."

"You _know_ better, Sister Milodi." The elder Priest said quietly. "We wouldn't just yank it out even if was _days_ old. We are not barbarians or monsters to slay an unborn young of _any_ species without cause. We need to look for options." She turned to the medics. "Get her to a room and keep her asleep, we will see about security and care while our sisters are purified and checked. You will liaison with Sister Hiloria."

"I took responsibility." Hiloria said as both medics stared at her. "I knew what that meant."

"Better you than me." One of the medics muttered as they carried Sofia from the transport.

"Are you going to be able to do this?" Amadri asked as Hiloria and Milodi stepped from the transport. "Your hate is powerful and deep seated."

"The Elders have commanded I try to find a way past it." Hiloria replied with a bow towards the statue of the Elders that graced a small garden nearby. Both other Priests did the same. "They think helping the girl seek enlightenment will help me as well. I hope so. I am so tired."

Amadri held out a hand to Hiloria who took it. Milodi took her other hand as well as Amadri's and both guided Hiloria towards a nearby door. She let herself be led into the Enlightenment Center and through the spotless corridors that had served as her home since the beginnings of her memory. They started for the medical wards, but Hiloria stopped them.

"I need to purify first." Hiloria said with a shake of her head when the others looked at her.

"Sister, you are hurt." Amadri's tone held worry.

"By the Elder's grace, I am not going to die." Hiloria replied. "But I need to purify. Now. So does Milodi."

The other Priests shared a look that was visible right through their helmets and then Amadri shook her head.

"Pain is our path." The eldest sister intoned and the others responded in the appropriate way.

"The Elders guide us." Milodi and Hiloria both spoke as one, bowing their heads.

"Hope is our beacon." Amadri started off again, leading the way towards another door marked 'pools'.

"The Elders give it to us." The others spoke in unison again.

Amadri led them to the door and into the huge room beyond it. Inside, sixteen small recessed pools filled with green fluid sat arrayed around a huge statue of an Elder. Sixteen nozzles were around around the statue's lower body, each over a different pool. Amadri gave the other two hydrids' hands a squeeze and retreated to the door where she stood, silent.

Hiloria moved to the closest pool and started stripping off her armor. In moments, she was bare and stood shivering as she stared at the pool.

"I have touched evil." Hiloria said softly as she raised a foot and placed it into the pool. The fluid was not water and it was hot. "But I refuse to serve evil."

She stepped in and started to kneel, ignoring the scalding pain on parts of her body that were bruised or cut. Then scalding fluid was pouring over her from above and she could do nothing but ride the waves of pain as they seared through her.

Our of the corner of her eye, she saw Milodi sink to her knees in her own pool, intoning her own prayers. Then Hiloria knelt all the way down and pure white hot agony tore through her. She bit back a scream through sheer force of will and focused on her prayers. The pain did not get any better, but it did not get any worse either and she finished her prayers without messing anything up. When she looked up, Milodi and Amadri were standing by her pool. Milodi was clad only in a towel and wearing an anxious look. Amadri had a frown on her face, but it turned into a smile as Hiloria nodded to her.

"I serve the Elders." Hiloria said firmly as she rose to her feet, oily greet fluid cascading off her. She took a step, but her legs had no strength and both of her sisters reached out to help her. She batted their hands away, she had to do it herself! She stumbled out of the pool as the green fluid slid off her and returned to the pool. She stared at the fluid. It was discolored! She stared down at herself and gasped as she saw several cuts oozing fluid. The heat had opened them.

"You are bleeding." Milodi was all but wringing her hands.

"I am alive." Hiloria reassured her as Amadri swung a towel out to cover Hiloria's nakedness. "I needed to do this."

"I know." Milodi reached out to hug Hiloria and then both she and Amadri were hugging her as she tried to walk and couldn't.

"Brave sister." Amadri was crying softly as she held Hiloria. "But now? You get to face the healer's wrath."

"She won't kill me." Hiloria said with a wince as pain flared again. She managed to make a foot move but when she put it down, the pain spiked further.

"Don't _tempt_ me!" A familiar stern voice had all three of the Priests turning to see the door open and another hybrid standing there, her face thunderous. She wore a white robe instead of armor. She didn't _need_ it to look intimidating. "I was told you were coming. I should have known you would do dumb things before making sure you were able to do them _safely_. It is what you idiots _do_."

Hiloria sighed and nodded as Amadri and Milodi assisted her. She really wasn't able to walk.

"Hello, Sister Renas."


	3. Chapter 3

**Degrees**

Hiloria hated a lot of things. She hated dirt. She hated guns. She hated humans. She hated failing.

Now? She was _really_ starting to hate this pod. It wasn't uncomfortable, far from it. The green gel she was floating in soothed every hurt and the nanobots in the gel were repairing her body with speed that any human physician might call magic. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that she was awake and aware and unable to move while encased in the thing. She was going stir crazy unable to do anything.

 _When can I get out of this thing?_ Hiloria sent to the resident sadist in charge who had put the hurt Priest in it over her strenuous objections.

 _When I say you can._ Sister Renas had a lot of practice dealing with recalcitrant patients. She wasn't field personnel and it didn't matter. _You burned yourself badly purifying yourself before you were healed._

 _I had to do that._ Hiloria said firmly. _I had to._

 _I know you think you did._ The other wasn't snide. Not quite. Close, but not quite.

 _I touched an evil mind. The mind of one who killed many of our soldiers._ Hiloria said quietly. The other did not respond and she heaved a mental sigh. _The one who hurt me. I had to be sure I wasn't a danger to the others, Sister. I had to. Milodi was bad enough. I feared for her when she touched my mind._

 _She insisted on going._ The healer said quietly. _We all warned her of the dangers, but she insisted. She is almost as stubborn as you are._ There really wasn't anything Hiloria could say to that, it was simple truth. Renas took pity on her and spoke again. _I know you are chafing, Sister, but we nearly lost you._

 _I know._ Hiloria shuddered in her green prison. _None of us had a chance against him. What I do not understand is why the dissidents stayed as long as they did. That Templar could have broken out at any time before I arrived. Were they waiting for more targets? Waiting for_ **me** _?_

 _We may never know, Sister._ Renas reassured Hiloria. _The only good news is that it is highly unlikely that the evil one will be able to track you. You may be able to track him, but that for another time, after you have_ _recovered your strength_ _and our newest aspirant is on her Way._

Hiloria gratefully accepted the conversation change. She had so many worries, so many questions, but for right now? She had a duty. An Elder assigned one, no less.

 _The girl Sofia._ _She is so_ **young** _,_ _Renas. Is she even capable of bearing human young?_ Hiloria asked, concerned. Renas made a noise that was somewhere between a sigh, a groan and a snarl.

 _Before today? I would have said 'no'._ The healer sounded as disgusted as Hiloria felt. _Besides the injuries, we have found evidence that she was drugged._ Hiloria felt horror dawn all over again and Renas made a noise of agreement. _It gets worse._ The healer warned.

 _They locked her up,_ _injured her,_ _drugged her and… did_ **that** _to her!_ Hiloria snapped. _How much worse can it_ **get** _?_

 _Much._ _She wasn't their biological daughter._ Renas said with a sob as Hiloria felt every ounce of her blood freeze. _DNA does n_ _o_ _t lie, sister._ _Your field scanner doesn't have the sensitivity ours do._ _She is close, but_ _that_ _man did not conceive her with that woman._

 _By the_ **Elders!** Hiloria felt faint and comfort washed through her from the other _._ _They took her from somewhere else. Probably by force._ _She is going to be a mess. We need to help her._ _Has_ _she be_ _en_ _checked?_

 _I did a full exam._ Renas reassured the other. _I found n_ _o tricks or traps._ _There are some that cannot_ _be detected_ _but I found no evidence of any_ _. S_ _he had_ _many small injuries. They hurt her in so many ways. She will need a patient and loving hand, Hiloria. Can you do that?_ An honest question and one that Hiloria worked hard to answer honestly.

 _I do not know._ Hiloria said in a tiny mental voice. _I have to try. Even if the Elders had not commanded it, she is not part of our conflict. She is a child. I hate humans, but she can be so much more. I have to try._

 _Milodi has offered her aid. As do I._ Renas sounded grudging, but her heart was as large as any of the Priests'.

 _Thank you._ Hiloria worked hard to remain calm. _How is she otherwise, healer?_

 _You know s_ _he was malnourished as well as dehydrated._ Renas sounded back on firm ground now. _We are correcting that. The injuries_ _we_ _re all fairly straightforward. They were intended to cause pain. To debilitate,_ _not_ _cause death._

 _Death would have been a mercy._ Hiloria snapped and Renas shared her anger.

 _I agree. Those humans were not merciful._ Renas sounded sick. _Special Resources has the male and they may or may not share whatever they get from his interrogation. We will need to proceed with care._

 _I need an honest opinion, healer._ Hiloria said quietly in her mind. _Would it be better to wipe_ _Sofia's_ _memory? Let her start fresh?_

 _Yes._ Renas gave a tiny sob, a first in Hiloria's experience. _We should help her forget. Even if we can find a way to save the child, she will not be able to care for it. She will not be able to nourish it. She is not_ **grown** _. She cannot_ _carry it to term. She cannot_ _be its mother. You are responsible for her. Is that your wish?_ _To wipe her mind?_

 _No._ _Not yet._ Hiloria said quickly. _We need more information and unfortunately there is only one source right now. I do not want to hurt her, but this will no matter what we do. I need to talk to her before I make any decisions._

 _You will not like what you find._ Renas warned.

 _I rarely do when dealing with humans._ Hiloria paused as the gel that surrounded her started to move. _Healer_ _Renas?_

 _All of the surgery is done and the incisions are repaired. Your healing is finished._ Renas said calmly. _We have the girl in a private room. She will wake shortly. A specialized psychologist is available. Most of us have never dealt with human children, but we have dealt with others who were traumatized. He_ **has** _dealt with human children. Before you ask, he is Advent._

Hiloria's feelings about humanity were fairly well known and not at all uncommon in Advent ranks.

 _I was given this duty by the Elders._ Hiloria said with a halfhearted snarl. _I wasn't going to argue._

 _Much._ Renas had a wicked grin in her tone as the pod shuddered and then the lid retracted. Hiloria cracked her eyes and saw Renas standing over her, a bundle in her hands. "I have robes for you."

"Thank you." Hiloria said as she sat up , the remainder of the gel sweeping off her body to pool near the drains. It would be collected and recycled. She looked at her body and it was whole again. "You do good work, Healer."

"I do what I can." Renas did not react to the praise, but then again she wasn't a very nice person most of the time. Sofia's predicament must have hit her as hard as it hit Hiloria. "We cannot keep the girl Sofia unconscious safely much longer, Sister."

"I know." Hiloria stepped out of the pod and took the bundle Renas gave her. She started putting the robes on right there. Renas wouldn't mind and time was of the essence now. "She will be very angry and very confused when she wakes. I deplore the thought of taking her entire life from her, but it will be far kinder than letting her remember such horrible things. Is she in pain now?"

"No. I have treated anything that might cause physical pain." Renas nodded. "None of us have dared to touch her sleeping mind. We are all afraid of what we will see." Hiloria made a face that Renas shared. "Milodi has offered to sing for her."

Milodi had taken her name as a play on the human English word 'Melody'. She was a singer by nature and her voice had to be heard to be believed. Not all Priests changed their names when they ascended to the position, but a few did if they felt the need. Milodi had.

"That may help." Hiloria finished pulling the robes on and nodded to the healer. "Where have you put Sofia?"

"The quarters next to your were empty." Renas nodded and stride away without another word.

Hiloria bowed to the retreating healer and then turned towards the door. She had never been in this particular room before, but the Enlightenment Center was her home. She knew its floor plan by heart. This was Intensive Care, she had been hurt very badly. But now? She felt no pain at all as she walked. A vast improvement over how Hiloria's day had started.

She strode through the empty corridors and her heart was heavy as she did. She didn't want to do this. There were specialists for everything under Advent. There had to be people who could handle such things She wasn't a therapist or a child psychologist or even a counselor. She was an Advent Priest, and she had a great deal of experience in dealing with Advent and their faith in the Elders. She had only dealt with humans as colleagues, adversaries and occasionally as test subjects. She had never been in a position where she had to help one like this. She snarled at herself and forced her stride to lengthen. She would do her best. It was all she could do. The Elders had given the girl a priceless chance at a much better future than most humans could ever dream of, so Hiloria had to do her best. This girl was not a dissident or any kind of adversary, she was a sister. Almost.

Hiloria would help her sister.

The hybrid strode into the hallway that led to her quarters and paused as a form in orange armor nodded to her. The male hybrid wasn't anyone she knew, but his attire said it all. He was a Purifier. One of the specialized troops usually sent into devastated human cities to clean them of the Lost, foul remnants of the previous human world. What was he doing _here?_ _Armed?_ His flamethrower was slung at least. Before she could voice the question, he spoke.

"Special Resources sent me." The soldier clasped a hand to his chest in salute. Hiloria's eyes narrowed and the male nodded to her. "They interrogated the male."

"Is it as bad as I fear?" Hiloria asked as she walked by where he stood, he matched her pace.

"Worse. That girl will need a lot of help." The male hybrid said with a nod. His face wasn't visible under his helmet, but his tone was sick. "The good news is that they never actually physically harmed her beyond repair. That is the _only_ good news." Hiloria slumped and he nodded. "You have your work cut out for you, Priest."

"I assume you have a report that I am cleared for." Hiloria half asked, half demanded. The Purifier held out a datapad that she took. "Can you summarize?"

"I can. The short version is that the pair found her in the wilderness." The Purifier replied with a nod. He had not and probably would not give his name. Special Resources was that way. "She was alone, no family that either of them could find. She did not speak of where she came from. She was cold, wet, filthy and starved."

"They took her _in_?" Hiloria asked, confused.

"Yes." The Purifier sounded upset now and Hiloria stared at him. "Whatever reasons they had at first did not last. The female apparently decided to 'use' the girl. What they did to her was intended to make her weak, make her rely on them for everything." Hiloria paused in mid-step and the Purifier nodded. "A form of mental conditioning. They demanded to be called 'Mom' and 'Dad' but there was no love there."

"There wouldn't be." Hiloria said with a frown as she shook her head. "But… For her to be bearing child. He violated her."

"No." The Purifier did not react as Hiloria's gaze swept over him. " _He_ did not."

"Oh no." Hiloria gasped. " _No_."

"I am afraid so." The Purifier sounded truly sorry. "What was done was artificial, with needles and tubes. The male did not stop the female from doing it. According to the male, both wanted a child and the woman was incapable."

"And the _girl_ was not child enough?" Hiloria demanded angrily. "No _wonder_ she shot that evil woman!"

"They wanted a male child. What was done to the girl is outlined on the datapad." The Purifier said quietly. "Do not eat before reading it." He warned.

"Tell me you are not letting that male go!" Hiloria snapped, her ire fully fanned. "Whether or not he actually _did_ violate her, he was involved. He had to be complicit in it. That is the only way she could have… could have procured..." She broke off and gagged at the thought.

"We are not." The Purifier promised her. "I cannot say _what_ we are going to do with him, but I can _guarantee_ he will harm no more children."

"Good." Hiloria sighed, forcing her anger back. "This is totally unlike anything I have done, but as you say, she will need a lot of help. Eventually, we will wipe her memories. That seems kindest."

"Before you do, there is some question as to where the girl came from." The Purifier held up a hand as Hiloria glared at him. "Not all interrogations are brutal or leave the subjects mind broken, Priest Hiloria. You know this."

"I know." Hiloria finally tamped down her anger and nodded. "She needs time to recover physically from everything before we do it and we need to determine the safest course for her unborn."

"That seems a good plan. One word of caution." The Purifier said with a nod. "According to the male, she was restrained to a bed for much of the time she was in the care of those two monsters. She did not react well to that."

"Who _would?_ " Hiloria demanded, incredulous. "So… we cannot restrain her physically or she will react badly again." The Purifier nodded. "I see."

"At least _you_ don't have to restrain her physically." The Purifier nodded. "Do you wish one of our specialists to assist with an interrogation? It is not as easy as some assume even with mind powers."

"I know how difficult they can be and if needed, I will ask for aid. Give her a few days to recover." Hiloria said slowly. "I know a little about human psyches. They can be incredibly resilient or incredibly fragile. After everything that has happened to this girl? I am betting she is well on the side of fragile."

"This is likely the best place for her to recover. We will be in touch."

He looked at a wall as singing sounded from somewhere nearby. It was a hymn of praise to the Elders and Milodi was singing it. He nodded to Hiloria and stepped away. He was humming the tune as he left and Hiloria had to smile. Milodi had that effect, sometimes.

Hiloria shook her head and stowed the datapad in a pocket hidden inside her robes. She started off for her quarters and was only half surprised to see a male Advent hybrid in white waiting outside of them. He nodded to her and she nodded back. The Priesthood of the Elders was open to any who could manage the tests to enter it but for some odd reason, mostly females passed the tests. There were male Priests, but they were few and far between. Most of those chose non-combat roles and Hiloria understood completely, especially after her own near death at the hands of dissidents. This male Priest was one that Hiloria knew and liked.

"Brother Kriso." Hiloria bowed to the robed male and he returned it. "Renas said a specialist was coming, but I did not expect you." He grinned at her and she winced. "Do not say it."

"Still a killjoy, Hiloria?" Kriso reached out and embraced the female Priest who returned it. "Humor has its place. Do not forget that."

"It took me a _week_ to figure out what the 'Spanish Inquisition' was." Hiloria complained as they released each other and retreated. "And there was nothing funny about _that_."

"No." Brother Kriso said with the same calm he had shown when she was an initiate and learning her own way. "But there were many who did make fun of the horror that humans did to each other." Hiloria glared at him, but her heart wasn't really in it. "You still hate them."

"I do, teacher." Hiloria felt like a child again in this being's presence. She always had and likely always would. "It is what I am."

"No, Hiloria." The other said as he reached out to pat her hand. "It is what you have made yourself. The Elders did not make you this way. You did this to yourself and only you can undo it."

"I do not know if I can, teacher." Hiloria said weakly. He pulled her close and held her gently. "I don't know if I can."

"If anyone can, you can, Hiloria. You were one of my best students, if always far too hard on yourself." Kriso smiled as he hugged her again and then stepped back. "For now? We have a problem. I assume the Special Resources goon met you."

"Insulting people with a hard job is hardly proper behavior." Hiloria said stiffly.

"You do not like them any more than I do." Kriso said flatly. "They have their uses and in this? Dark times call for dark methods. He told you." Not really a question.

"He did." Hiloria shook her head slowly. "Teacher… _Can_ we help this girl?"

"I do not know, Hiloria." Kriso said with an all too human sigh.

"But we have to try."


	4. Chapter 4

**Kindness**

Hiloria sat near one wall of the small private room. Kriso stood by the door, his face hidden under the hood of his formal robe. Hiloria did not move, did not make any noise as Sofia moaned softly and writhed a little bit on the bed she had been deposited on after her bath. She looked much better clean. It had been nearly impossible to tell that her skin was a dark brown tint under all the grime.

She could feel the girl's confusion as she woke up completely and found herself in a completely unexpected situation. She was expecting a prison cell or at least somewhere with guards. Instead, the room she lay in had colorful murals on the wall, most portraying the Elders gifts to humanity and Advent. The bed she lay on was a medical bed, set up to keep her vitals within regular limits. It was not as comfortable as a regular bed, but it also had no visible restraints. There were various means built into the bed to keep patients calm and/or still, but none had been activated. The white gown she wore covered her from neck to knees and the sheet that lay over her was both colorful and warm. The medics had been forced to shave her head to get rid of her horribly matted and filthy brown hair, but her bare head was covered by a hand-knitted cap. Amadri was very good at such things.

What Sofia _wasn't_ going to see was the transparent piece of plastic stuck to the base of her skull. The small patch covered a metered drug dispenser that would slowly allow a calming agent into Sofia's bloodstream. She would be upset, everyone knew that. No one wanted her to get hostile, to hurt herself or anyone else. The only other thing she wore was a medical bracelet around her upper left arm.

Hiloria could feel the girl's incredulity mixed with a healthy dose of fear. She reached out with her mind and gave the girl's mind a tap. A polite greeting between telepaths. The girl gasped but did not freak out, so that was a start.

"Good morning, Sofia." Hiloria said quietly. "I apologize for being rude to you before. You were hostile. You had cause. I did not understand what had happened. Now I do and I am so very sorry."

"You. You are the one who… You are not human." Sofia curled up into a ball, her eyes the only things peeking up from under the sheet. Hiloria shook her head. "What do you want?"

"You said that our help killed people and in some ways, that is true." Hiloria chose her words with care. She wasn't sure how powerful Sofia was, but the other could likely sense blatant falsehoods. Most psis could. "Sofia, the world that we live in is one of conflict. Humans fight each other and Advent. I was ordered to bring the man that was with you in for questioning as well as any companions."

She could not have missed the spike of pure rage that tore from Sofia if she had been mind-blind.

"He..." Sofia seemed to wilt.

"I know what he and his wife did to you, Sofia." Hiloria said as gently as she could. "I _am_ so very sorry." She repeated. "I do not like humans. I have dealt with so many who were less than good, but what he did… What his _wife_ did to you… You are not my enemy, child. You never were."

"They hurt me." Sofia was crying now. Kriso nodded to Hiloria who rose and stepped to Sofia's bedside. "They put things in me. I..." She gasped as Hiloria sat down on the bed beside her. "No, please!" She begged.

"This will not hurt you." Hiloria promised as she took Sofia's hands in her own and poured healing energy into the girl. Sofia's eyes bulged as the energy flared around her, but then she gave a small moan and relaxed as the few aches she had been feeling vanished. Hiloria smiled at her. "There. Better?"

"Yes." Sofia perked up a little. "What did you do?"

"I encouraged your cells to heal faster than they normally would. Our power, the power I have and you share, comes from the mind. It allows for a lot of things, Sofia." Hiloria said quietly, not moving as the girl stared from Hiloria's face to her hands and back. "Things both good and bad are possible with this power. If you wish, you can learn how to use it for the betterment of all. But that is for the future. Right now? You need to heal. Your body has been repaired, but your mind is still hurt. So many hurts, so many shocks. You need help and we are offering."

"Your kind kill my kind." Sofia said slowly, her eyes hooding.

"When we have no choice, yes, we do." Hiloria said quietly. "It is regrettable, but there are many of your people who cannot seek any reasonable solution and must resort to violence. Here and now, we have a choice and we refuse to act precipitously. You are safe here, child. This is an Enlightenment Center, not a prison. We will not lock you up."

"But I cannot leave, can I?" Sofia asked, her face now a mask. Hiloria looked at Kriso, who slowly moved away from the door and dropped his hood. Sofia stared from Hiloria to the male and back, her eyes wide.

"If you truly wish to leave, we will not stop you. There is too much conflict in this world as it is." Hiloria said gently. "We do not wish that to cause you further harm. But, Sofia, child… You are still _hurt_. You are a sentient being. One who was abused in a horrific fashion. We want to help you, child. Please let us help you."

"You can't." Sofia laid her hands over her abdomen. "I know what she did to me. She… she gloated about it."

"She is dead, Sofia." Hiloria kept her voice low and soothing. It did not come naturally. "I did not understand why you did what you did, but now I do. I do not blame you for being angry. _I_ am angry and it did not happen to _me_. Let us try to help you. We may surprise you."

"Let me go." Sofia said in a monotone. "I have to go." She gasped as Hiloria laid a hand on her brow and then she slumped, her eyes rolling back into her head. Hiloria laid her down gently and made sure her limbs were straight.

"Even wiping her short term memory, sooner or later, she will realize she cannot leave." Kriso warned. "When she does, she will not be happy."

"Technically… She can." Hiloria shook her head. "She is not a prisoner. She is a guest and a patient. Not today because she is far too weak to walk more than few steps, but she can. If she does, I have to go with her since I took responsibility."

"She will not see it that way, especially if you keep knocking her out." Kriso was more wary than upset. "She is not reacting as other human children I have dealt with did. It may be the traumas she endured. It may not be. There is something oddly familiar about her, but I am not sure what it is." Hiloria looked at her old mentor and he shook his head. "I need to think on this. Will you stay with her?"

"We need to undo the conditioning." Hiloria was not looking forward to this, but there was something about this girl. The vulnerability? The fear? No. It was something else that called to the non-human psi. "That will not be fun, but Amadri did tell me what to do."

"You need to let her proceed at her own pace and do it herself." Kriso nodded approval as Hiloria resumed her seat. "I will step out for this part. I will be right outside if you need me." Hiloria smiled and nodded. Kriso stepped out and the female psi reached out to Sofia's mind, touching it gently.

"Sofia? Sofia, wake up." Hiloria said quietly. The girl jerked awake with a cry of alarm and Hiloria nodded to her, keeping her voice calm and level. "You are safe. Did you dream?"

"I fell asleep." Shame sounded in the girl's voice, but Hiloria worked hard so there was no censure in hers.

"You are weak and sick from the horrors that were done to you. There is no shame in that." Hiloria moved to the bedside. "We let you sleep. You needed it."

She carefully did not say how long they had let her sleep. In her befuddled state, Sofia was not going to realize that it had been less than ten minutes. They needed to break the programming that had been done to her gently while at the same time, instilling certain other programming that would eventually allow Sofia to realize her true potential. Delicate work, but Hiloria was not a novice.

"I..." Sofia stammered a little and then shook her head. "Did you tell me your name? I don't remember." She flushed in embarrassment.

"I think you have valid cause for lapses of memory." Hiloria chuckled at Sofia's expression. "You may call me Sister Hiloria." She smiled as Sofia mouthed the syllables of the non-human name. "We are not going to yell at you for forgetting such things." She went still as Sofia squirmed. "Sofia? Are you all right?"

"I… No." Sofia said weakly. She patted her waist and blanched. "My diaper. You took off my diaper! I cannot..."

"They wanted you helpless. You are not." Hiloria said with a growl that was not directed at Sofia. The girl seemed to understand that. "Do you need the facilities?"

"Yes." Sofia pleaded. Hiloria rose and moved to the bed, holding out her hand to the girl who was blushing. Sofia let the hybrid pull her from the bed and to her feet where she stood on unsteady legs.

"The bathing facilities are two doors down." Hiloria led Sofia to the door despite the girls reluctance. "They are separate for males and females. You are in no danger here."

"I want to believe you." Sofia said sadly. "But I cannot."

"Trust must be earned." Hiloria said with a smile as the door opened and Kriso stepped from the wall to eye them. "This is Brother Kriso, my teacher and a specialist in psychology. He has agreed to help you. Kriso, she needs the facilities."

"They wanted her to be a helpless animal." Kriso said with a nod to Sofia. "She isn't one."

"I feel so weak and weird." Sofia said with a tiny cry as Hiloria led her to a door marked 'bath'.

"They hurt you and drugged you." Kriso matched pace with the pair of females. "But you are stronger than that. You can get better if you want to." He smiled at Sofia's dazed look and nodded as Hiloria opened the door. "I am outside if you need anything."

"You better stay out of the female facilities or Sister Amadri will have you cleaning the cellars again." Hiloria said with a smile.

Sofia surprised her with a laugh, and Hiloria nodded to her as she led the girl to a commode that had been set up for humans as well as hybrids. They occasionally had a few Advent humans as guests so it made sense for them to have facilities. It wasn't like humans could use facilities geared for Mutons. She barely glanced at the shower stalls and bath tubs that were laid out in orderly rows.

"A story there?" Sofia gasped as Hiloria led her to a seat and helped her sit. She carefully did not help Sofia with her gown. The girl _had_ to do things herself or she would never be able to break the programming and they would be forced to take more drastic measures.

"We were all young once." Hiloria said with a smile. "From what I heard, it was curiosity, not anything worse. She was not amused."

"I bet." Sofia was gasping again and squirming, but nothing was happening. "I… I can't! What is _wrong_ with me?" She begged.

"They conditioned you to use the diaper and only the diaper. They used drugs and negative feedback. Hurting you." Hiloria said with a scowl. "You do not need it, Sofia. You do not. You know it. I know it. You just need to focus."

"It hurts!" Sofia pleaded as Hiloria took her hands and held them.

"I know, but your body knows what to do." Hiloria said gently. "Trust it, Sofia. Let go. Relax. You know what to do. You are not helpless no matter what they wanted to make of you."

She did not push with her mind. Sofia _had_ to do this herself or nothing anyone did could touch the programming that had been done. Sofia cried out in pain and then she gasped as watery plops sounded along with a hiss of fluid.

"I..." Sofia was obviously fighting not to cry as Hiloria held her hands. "I.."

"See?" Hiloria said gently. "You do not need it. _You_ are in control of your body. Not _them_. You needed to do that, to prove to yourself that you are in control."

"Why are you doing this?" Sofia asked weakly as Hiloria let go and reached for a disposable towel nearby. "This is… Advent does not help humans."

"It is supposed to. It just has a great deal of difficulty reaching out past the city centers." Hiloria said with sigh. "Thing is, a lot of humans react with violence when they feel threatened. The Elders conquered this world, Sofia. That is fact and nothing can change that."

"Are you sure?" Sofia asked in an odd tone. Hiloria looked at her and Sofia shook her head. "I mean, this power that you have and you say I have… What can it do?"

"Any power has limits, Sofia." Hiloria frowned. "The past is past and cannot be changed." She handed the towel to Sofia who stared at it. "Go on, clean yourself. You do not want to lie in your filth, do you?"

"I did." Sofia said weakly, staring at the towel. Then she was crying.

"Oh, Sofia." Hiloria pulled the girl up and held her as she cried. "I do not like humans, but I want to help you."

"I don't like humans _either_." Sofia bawled in Hiloria's arms. She never noticed the hybrid psi strengthening her feelings of being comforted with a deft pulse of energy. The girl would likely never realize how deftly Hiloria was altering her feelings from hate to love. Given time, the girl would feel nothing but comfort and love when she looked at Hiloria. Much gentler than drugs or other means of programming.

"Sofia, you _are_ human." Hiloria said sternly. "I am half human. That said, we are not going to hurt you. We are not going to toss you out to fend for yourself half-healed. If you want to leave, you can, but I took responsibility for you." Sofia hiccuped a little and stared at the non-human psi. "That means I have to stay with you, which I would do anyway because I find I want to help you. I may not always be nice. You may hate me at times. You may curse me or scream at me, or whatever. But I _will_ help you."

"Why?" Sofia begged.

"Because I see a potential in you that few have." Hiloria said as gently as she could. "You have a gift that is very rare even among my kind. You are hurt and sick, but my masters have allowed me to try and teach you our ways." Sofia's eyes went huge, but she did not recoil, which was a good thing. "This is a chance that very few get. My path is not one that can be forced on someone, Sofia. It has to be your choice. Not mine."

"Choice?" Sofia slumped. "What choice? I live or I die."

"Even if you choose not to follow our Way, we are not going to hurt or kill you." Hiloria said sternly. "We may have to keep tabs on you a bit closer than most, but we are not going to lock you up simply because you _might_ be a problem in the future." She sighed deeply. "Stand still."

"Wha-?" Sofia gave a squeak as the towel in her hand was suddenly jerked out of her hand by an unseen force. She gave another, louder squeak as it dove under her gown and the sound of scrubbing came. She stood as if frozen and Hiloria smiled at her as the towel flew from under her gown to a recycling bin where it fell in, the lid closing after it. "You..." She stammered.

"You are _not_ a prisoner to those horrible humans anymore. You are weak, sick and your mind is fuzzy. I will take care of you until you can take care of yourself. It is your choice what you do after, not mine." Hiloria stepped back and took Sofia's hands in her own. "You are a guest and a potential student. The room you woke up in is yours for the duration of your stay and you can come back here as often as you wish to bathe. I don't doubt that you feel dirty after all of that. Bathing can help."

Sofia stared at the hybrid and then at the bathing room, her eyes almost as wide as Hiloria's. "But..."

"No 'buts'." Hiloria started for the door, waving for Sofia to follow. The girl did, her posture meek, scared almost. "Your body is sound, if weak currently. Your mind needs time to recover from the shocks. We have options that we can explore to help you. Some are good, some are bad, some are in between. We have many questions for you, but we are not going to be rough about asking them. We have time. _You_ have time. You _need_ that time to heal."

Sofia was crying harder as Hiloria took her hands again and then she collapsed, her meager stores of energy depleted. Hiloria hefted her easily and carried her despite her squeak of protest. The hybrid carried Sofia into the hall where Kriso laid a hand on her forehead. The girl fell asleep instantly and Kriso nodded.

"That is as much as we can do today." Kriso followed as Hiloria started off back to the girl's quarters. "We cannot push her too hard, but that was well done, Hiloria."

"I do not feel the same way about her as I feel about other humans." Hiloria mused as they entered the room and Kriso helped her lay Sofia out on the bed. "Is that normal?"

"I do not know." Kriso admitted. "For now? She needs at least eight hours of real sleep before we can do any more alterations. She broke the humans' crude programming, so she has a powerful mind even untrained. If we wish to train her at all instead of wiping her mind, we must be very cautious."

"We also need to figure out where she came from." Hiloria nodded as she pulled the sheet up over the girl's body and set the bed monitors to alert her if anything changed. She did not doubt that the girl would have nightmares. She paused and then hit controls on the bedside. A tube extended from the bed to the medical arm band. Hiloria nodded as Sofia's face relaxed even further. The mild sedative was not habit-forming. It would keep her from thrashing. The staff would monitor her mind, ease her if needed.

She surprised herself when she reached out to stroke the girl's forehead. Sofia smiled in her sleep, but did not react otherwise. There was something so familiar about this girl, so very familiar. But Hiloria could not put it to mind.

 _Hiloria?_ Sister Amadri's mental tone jolted Hiloria out of her musing. _You are needed in Meeting Room 2. Now._

 _What is the problem?_ Hiloria asked as she looked at Kriso, who nodded. He would stay with the girl.

 _Your battle with the Templar caught the attention of one of the Chosen._ Amadri sounded afraid. Who could blame her? _He is here._

 _Oh._


	5. Chapter 5

**Shades of Darkness**

It was all Hiloria could do not to scream. Every ounce of her being was in the grip of a shape straight out of nightmare. She had no way of telling how long it had been since she had arrived after running to the meeting room and finding the Chosen standing there. There was no mistaking him for anything else. Even without the blue skin, glowing eyes and horns on his head, the sheer _power_ he exuded even at rest was mind-boggling. Literally. He hadn't spoken, simply raised his hand and psionic energy had seared into her. Now, she was held off the floor in a cocoon of power and nothing could stop the mind that scoured through hers.

She didn't bother to resist no matter how much it hurt.

For one thing, he was so much more powerful than she was that it simply wasn't funny. For another? He was the authority here. He was one of the Elder's Chosen champions, one of their designated agents on this fallen, broken world. She served the Elders and this was one of their hands. Resistance would be both _blasphemous_ and _pointless_. He likely wouldn't kill her, and even if he did? She would die a servant of the Elders.

Finally, the power released her and she sank to her knees and clasped her hands together, muttering prayers to the Elders as the pain she had been suffering faded to memory.

"The Elders' Blessing sustained you." The Chosen's words reverberated through Hiloria both mental and aloud. She nodded, still praying. "That Templar is known to me." Greatly daring, Hiloria looked up to meet the Chosen's eyes. He nodded approval. "That human's name is Marric Shüller. He has been a particularly persistent thorn in my side for some time."

"Can you track him with what I sensed, Mi-Lord?" Hiloria asked, breathless. "With the resonance that I remember from his mind? He must fall."

"He _will_ fall." The Chosen said after a moment. "You have given me another avenue to track these scum. The Templars are unrelenting, maddeningly so on occasion. They are quite dangerous for a bunch of human cultists. As you saw."

Hiloria nodded, unsure of what to say. The Advent forces had been winning the battle she had dropped into before the Templar had attacked. He had turned the Advent forces' victory into defeat all by _himself_.

"I will pray for your quick success, Mi-Lord." Hiloria said with a nod as the Chosen turned to go. He did not pause, simply vanished in a haze of purple energy. She did not move. "This world is the Elders'. Their will be done."

"Hiloria?" A scared voice sounded from the door and she looked up to see Milodi standing there, her face ashen. "Are you all right?"

"The Elders will it to be so." Hiloria rose carefully to her feet. "He wanted information. The trace I had. No more." She took several deep, cleansing breaths. "It hurt, but I am all right."

"Are you sure?" Milodi asked, concern for her sister writ all over her face. "I can get Renas."

"I would rather not pester the Healer again today if it is all the same to you." Hiloria smiled at Milodi, who returned it. " _Once_ in her tender care was _enough_."

She did not move as Milodi swept her body with a concentrated mental scan. She didn't blame the other for having doubts. The Chosen were _terrifying_. That was the whole _point_ of them. While Priests were the Elders' messengers and heralds on occasion, as ready to defend allies as to kill enemies, the Chosen were the Elders' _swords_ , meant for one thing and one thing only. To destroy the enemies of Hiloria's gods. They did not do that by being 'nice'.

"I am all right." Hiloria stood up straight and smoothed her robes. "I need rest, but I am all right."

"You are." Milodi sighed in relief as she dropped her scan. "At least Sofia did not sense anything and wake up." Hiloria stared at her and Milodi shook her head. "You two are linked. Did you not do that?"

"I was going to." Hiloria said slowly. "But she collapsed. I did not have the chance while she was awake." She scanned her own mind and gasped as she saw the telltale signs of mental linkages. " _She_ did it? No. She could not have."

"Well, the Chosen certainly did not do it." Milodi said with a shrug. "He didn't object?" She queried.

"If he _had_ , I think I would know. Subtlety is not a Chosen attribute." Hiloria managed a smile. It faded. "This was not here before. I did not link to her. I was going to tomorrow, after she woke. I was going to try and teach her some basic meditations. Let her see our Way in my mind with all of its ups and downs. But I did not have the chance yet."

"Could Kriso have done this?" Milodi asked, touching her sister's arm gently.

Hiloria paused and examined the mind-bridge that had been forged and then she shook her head. "He could have, but no. This is not his mental touch." Hiloria said with a frown. "She _must_ have done it. But when? Not while I was talking to her. And how? She is not trained."

"Do you want me to sit with her?" Milodi asked after a moment.

"I was hoping to introduce you to her, to let her see a truly non-violent Advent perspective." Hiloria mused. "But she is very fragile still. Keep a mental eye on her, but a distant one. Even with the sedative, she may have nightmares. If so, feel free to soothe her with your singing." Hiloria shook her head again. "I need rest to recover. Tomorrow, I will introduce you to her. I think she will like you. Most people do."

"I hope so." Milodi said in a tiny voice. "A new sister. That does not happen every day."

"No, it doesn't." Hiloria agreed as she started for the door. Milodi kept pace with her and she smiled at her sister. "How are you? I know going into the field stressed you."

"I did not fight." Milodi said with a frown. "I honestly do not know how I feel about that. I serve the Elders, but I do not want to fight."

"Milodi, you have a gift that few do. Anyone can fight. You make beauty come to life with your tunes." Hiloria smiled as Milodi flushed a little at the compliment. They might be hybrids, but they were still very much like humans in so many ways. "We have many fighters in our ranks. We only have one _you_."

"That could be said for any of us, sister." Milodi said weakly as they walked. They passed other white garbed forms who nodded to them, but did not pause or speak. "I do not have your touch with mind powers or your skill with research."

"Each of us serves in our own way." Hiloria reassured her sister. "I hope you do not have to fight. Such things change you and not for the better."

"Is that what happened to you?" Milodi asked in a very small voice. "The others say you were bright and cheerful until your first mission."

"Yes." Hiloria said with a nod. "My first mission was bad. I was sent to rescue children from a dangerous situation. A cult. The children fought the team that was sent. Two of the Troopers died and I was hurt. In my rage, I lashed out at the humans. All of them. While I was distracted, two human children perished. They extinguished themselves. They had been told I was a monster who would eat them."

" _Eat_ them?" Milodi demanded, horrified. "That is _sick!_ "

"Yes." Hiloria shook her head. "The other three children hurt themselves before I could stop them, but the healers managed to save them. The humans guarding them attempted to slay them once I had them in my care. I did not react well to that. I am not proud of what I did. Of how far I fell when I stood over those three small forms. Of how human I acted by killing all of the ones who might harm those children. I killed most of the cult, using them against each other."

"Oh, sister!" Milodi reached out and pulled Hiloria into an embrace. "I am sorry."

"The three survivors were sent to care and with the Elder's grace, they will serve. I only learned one child's name. Sam. He was so angry." Hiloria said softly. "I went for purification, but the damage was done. It is deep-seated and no one could change that without extreme measures that would change who I am, probably for the worse. As it is? I can function. I just hate humans. I will never trust humans."

"Not all of them are evil." Milodi protested.

"I know." Hiloria shook her head. "We have staff here who are human and it is all I can do to be civil to them. I am so flawed, sister." She bowed her head. "But the Elders command and we obey. They feel that helping Sofia may help me. Maybe it will. I do not like who I am sometimes, but I cannot seem to change it."

They had reached the door to Hiloria's quarters and Hiloria paused. Milodi nodded to her as Hiloria took three more steps to Sofia's door and opened it. Sofia slept quietly on her bed, the status monitors above it were in the green. Molidi watched as Hiloria stepped to the bedside and gently touched Sofia's temple, checking her mental rhythms. She froze as Sofia opened her mouth.

"Mom?" Sofia's voice was hushed and scared. Her mind was asleep! But she was _talking_! Was she dreaming? "It hurts, Mom."

Hiloria grimaced. She had no idea what to say, what to do. She settled for stroking Sofia's cheek gently.

 _It is all right._ She sent to Sofia as she eased the girl's rhythms as best she could. It seemed to work. _Go back to sleep, Sofia. We have a big day tomorrow._

 _I love you, Mom._ Sofia's mental voice was tiny as she gave a sigh and fell back into a deeper sleep.

Hiloria stared at the slumbering human, and then at Milodi, who looked as confused as Hiloria felt. She set the monitors to alert her if Sofia had any distress. Then she moved to the door where she waited for Milodi to exit. Once they did and the door had shut, Hiloria growled.

"That human died _far_ too easily!" The irate Priest said savagely. "I know that not all humans are monsters. But that one _was!_ "

"Um, Hiloria?" Milodi looked ashen and Hiloria stared at her. "She was not talking to a human. She was talking to you."

" _Me?_ " Hiloria asked, stunned. Then she scoffed. "Well, of course she was. I was here."

"No." Milodi paused and gathered her thoughts for a moment. "You know my empathy is stronger than my telepathy, yes?" Hilora nodded, unsure of where this was going. "I felt what she did, sister."

"I am sorry for exposing you to that-" Hiloria started to apologize, but broke off as Milodi waved at her. "Sister?"

"You do not understand, sister." Milodi said with a sigh. "She did not feel angry or scared or even hurting. All I felt from her was _love_." Hiloria stared at her, uncomprehending. "For _you_."

" _Me?_ " Hiloria stammered. "But… There is no way the programming has taken effect yet. I put the basis in, but that is all. She cannot feel for me yet. She hated me. Us. Advent."

"I do not know how she feels about us." Milodi stepped close and embraced Hiloria, who found herself shuddering a little. "All I know is that the feelings I got from her were aimed at you. _For_ you. She loves you."

"This is very odd." Hiloria said softly. "She had to have made the link between our minds. That speaks of familiarity beyond a casual conversation. But I have never met her before. And… Why call _me_ 'Mom'? I am not her mother. I am certainly not the one who hurt her, made her pregnant."

"There is something very familiar about her." Milodi said slowly. "Something that feels like you."

"I... Milodi!" Hiloria shook her head even more savagely. "That is not _possible_. She is human. I am not. No matter what else happens, we cannot be related." Why did that hurt Hiloria so much to say that? Milodi stared at her and then slowly hugged her sister again.

"You feel for her." Milodi said quietly. "That is so beautiful. So clean and pure. I..." Why was she crying? "Oh, sister!"

"The Elders will know what to do but I cannot bother them for this." Hiloria said quickly. "I cannot. I must not... This…"

"Sister." Milodi said quickly. "Whatever she shares with you may help her. She is hurt in so many ways. The Elders commanded you to help her, no?"

"But if I am _tainted_ somehow..." Hiloria protested. Milodi actually _interrupted_ her.

"This is not a taint, sister." The other hybrid said firmly. "If I know _nothing_ else, then I know this is not a taint. This feeling is not dark in any way. It is bright and clean, like the Elders' Light. If you had been tainted, what would the _Chosen_ have done?" Hiloria shuddered, and Milodi nodded. "We would likely not be having this conversation."

"This makes no sense!" Hiloria said with a groan as she relaxed in Milodi's embrace. Her sister's empathy was far better honed than Hiloria's. She knew that. "I am not her mother!"

Just the words hurt. Why did it hurt so much?

"You can be." Milodi said quietly. Hiloria stared at her and the other smiled. "Hiloria, she will have a new life. She will be reborn into a new life. She will need more than a mentor, more than a guide. I think you would make an excellent mother."

"I think _you_ have gone insane." Hiloria stepped out of Milodi's arm with a half snarl. Milodi let her go. "I cannot be her mother. I cannot. I serve the Elders."

"They thought she could help you past your hate." Milodi was not to be dissuaded. "Ask them."

"I am not going to _pester_ the Elders, Milodi!" Hilora said with a real snarl. "We can handle this."

"At least think about it, Hiloria." Milodi sounded hurt and Hiloria unbent a little. "I wish you could see what I see. It is beautiful."

Milodi's gifts were empathy and song. She was quite good with both, but it wasn't something she could share except aloud. Most of what she sensed was particular to her and made no sense to anyone else no matter how skilled in telepathy the others might be. Only a fool doubted her sense of feelings, though, and _never_ more than once.

"We are linked." Hiloria worked to calm herself and in a few moments, was calm again. "I was going to, to promote calm and to instill feelings of comfort and love in her. But if she loves me already, I can use that." Milodi gasped, and Hiloria was quick to continue. "No. No, I will not hurt her. I will not let others hurt her. But if we are linked already, then I can go faster."

"Carefully." Milodi warned. "A misstep here could hurt both of you." Hiloria nodded soberly.

"I know. For now, she needs rest." Hiloria agreed. "Tomorrow, we can start her therapy and probing her background gently. We need to find out where she came from and how she got to where she was. As much as I hate to admit it, Special Resources is better at interrogations than we are. I do not want to subject her to such, but they do not have to be brutal or fast. They can be gentle."

"Pity Doctor Cooper was lost to us. We could use him." Milodi said sadly. Hiloria nodded. The human doctor had been well known among Advent for soothing hurt minds. And more, but that wasn't discussed.

"Life is what it is, and he is safer now wherever he is." Hiloria said with a nod.

She didn't have all of the details on what had happened, but no Advent personnel could have _possibly_ missed the mess that had resulted when X-Com and Advent had squabbled over a human physician. Not that he _was_ really human now. Nuclear detonations had a way of attracting attention. The Priests knew more than the rank and file about what had happened and why, but _no one_ knew where Cooper and his patron had vanished to. It was safer that way for him with the massive conflicts erupting all over the Earth. She prayed he was safe. Him _and_ his Lady. It was out of her hands though, she had enough troubles.

"Agreed. Rest well, sister." Milodi hugged Hiloria again and then walked way quickly, her face a mask.

Hiloria stared after her sister, confused. This made no sense at all to her. She had to admit that Milodi was very good with her empathy. She was so empathic that many in the Priesthood feared for her if she ever had to kill another sentient being. Hiloria had to smile as she entered her quarters and heard Milodi singing. The younger Hybrid had an incredible…

 _That wasn't Milodi!_

Hiloria spun to an alarm button, but before she could reach it, something slammed into her. Whatever it was, it wasn't physical. It wasn't anything she had ever encountered. She was spinning, floating, falling, all of those and more. Her stomach rebelled, but she wasn't…

It wasn't...

Then words came to her. Words she did not know. But… she _did!_

'Something has changed within me  
Something is not the same  
I'm through with playing by the rules  
Of someone else's game  
Too late for second-guessing  
Too late to go back to sleep  
It's time to trust my instincts  
Close my eyes and _leap_! '

It _was_ Milodi's voice, but… _not_.

'It's time to try  
Defying gravity  
I think I'll try  
Defying gravity  
And you can't pull me down!'

The words pulled Hiloria from whatever she was in and she landed on her hands and knees in a familiar room. Her quarters. The painting of the Elders she had done in her novitiate hung on the wall as always, but it was _burnt_? The walls were broken down, rusted. Advent walls! _Rusted_? Such materials did not rust! What the hell?

She spun in a circle and froze solid as a form rose off her bed. Her ruined, blasted bed! _Milodi_ smiled at her, but it _wasn't_ the Milodi she knew.

"Hello Hiloria. Sister." The old, bent -ancient!- hybrid said as she nodded to the stunned Priest. Her right arm was obviously a sophisticated prosthetic of some kind and she showed other scars. She was crying softly. "We have been waiting for you for so long."

"We need your help."

* * *

 **The quote is from** ' **Defying** **Gravity'. A wonderful song from the musical 'Wicked' and in no way my work.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The enemy of my enemy**

"What?"

Hiloria stared at Milodi. But this wasn't Milodi. Or... It wasn't the Milodi she knew. The face was right, but... _This_ hybrid was _old_. Much, much older than Hiloria herself. Maybe even older than Sister Amadri, who was the oldest hybrid Hiloria knew.

"Who are you?" Hiloria demanded. "Where am I?"

"I am Milodi. Your sister." The ancient hybrid in front of her said sadly. "I know I do not look the same. It has been bad. This was our home."

"You are _not_ Milodi!" Hiloria snapped. "And _this_? This is _not_ my home!"

-We do not have _time_ for this!- An odd female voice sounded from behind Hiloria. It was both monotone _and_ angry, as odd as that was. She started to turn, her power coming to her call. Then an impact threw her to the floor and a massive weight landed on her back. She froze as a glowing pair of spikes appeared in her vision. -You move, or try your mind tricks and I _will_ tear your implants out with this. That may not kill you, but you will wish it had.-

"No!" Milodi begged. "Colonel! No! Stop! You promised not to hurt her!" She held up bare hands

"You are not inspiring trust!" Hiloria snapped as she slowly and carefully gathered power. She would only have one chance, if whoever was behind her was half as strong as she seemed.

"Hiloria! Stop!" Milodi commanded, her voice pitched perfectly in a tone that _would_ be obeyed. "Colonel, she is our _only_ chance! Stand _down_!" Hiloria stared at her as she held up empty hands. 'Please! You said you would let me handle this! Fighting here and now serves _nothing._ "

-Your safety is my priority, Priestess.- The one called Colonel said with a growl. -If she tries to hurt you, I will kill her.-

"All she knows is that we _abducted_ her." Milodi said with a growl of her own. "Stand down. Now!"

-Under protest.- The other snapped and whatever had been pressing on Hiloria's back eased off.

"Do nothing, Hiloria." Milodi pleaded. "Please. We need your help. Yours and Sofia's."

Hiloria spun to her feet and her power came to her call, but when she turned to see her adversary, what met her eyes had her freezing in horror. A human shaped form stood near her, but it _wasn't_ human. It had two legs, two arms and a head, but the legs and arms were metal. It held a large weapon that it had aimed at her. The head was human and from the look? Female. It wore some kind of odd brimmed cap over a number of obviously artificial parts. Hiloria stared at it and then her eyes lit on the insignia that shone on its chest. A familiar and hated insignia.

"X-COM!" Hiloria raised her shields, but the robot did nothing even as Hilora prepared her mind to attack. Milodi stepped between Hiloria and the thing, her own shields up. "Move!" Hiloria snapped.

"I can't." Milodi said weakly. "Hiloria, I can't. She and I are the only sentient things on the planet besides you at the moment. We have been through so much together, I cannot let you harm her. Not that you probably _can_. She has killed _Chosen_ , Hiloria. You have no chance against her." Hiloria felt shock at that even as the robot woman stepped between Milodi and Hiloria again.

"When did you betray the Elders?" Hiloria demanded.

"I didn't." Milodi said sadly. "The Elders are dead."

"You _lie!_ " Hiloria reached out with her mind, seeking the solace that was her gods, but there was only an echoing emptiness. Then, there was _one_ voice she did not know.

 _Stand down. All of you._ The voice was an Ethereal, but _not_ an Elder. Hiloria staggered as she realized who it _had_ to be. The one who had merged with Doctor Cooper! _Priest Hiloria, we took great risks to pull you here and now. We need your help. Please. Come to me. I can explain. But right now, you, the Colonel and Milodi are in_ **grave** _danger._

 _I…_ Hilora stammered in her mind. _I don't understand. What has happened?_

"The world ended." Milodi said sadly. "All our fighting, all of the death and destruction. It was for naught."

-Now is _not_ the time!- The robot woman snapped. -We have to _move_! The Lost are swarming. That energy discharge that you promised me would be _quiet_ and _subtle_ was probably seen across the _entire_ city center!-

"It had to be done, Colonel!"Milodi said firmly. A look of concentration flashed over her face and something exploded in the distance. "That will pull some away. We need to get outside to get picked up."

 _Transport is inbound. Get outside and keep her safe!_ The voice of the Ethereal that Hiloria did not know snapped. _Both of them!_

"I cannot move fast." Milodi said weakly as she started to shuffle. Hiloria stared at her as she shook her head. "Leave me. Hiloria is the important one."

-Like _hell!_ _-_ The not-quite-a-robot snarled. -Move! Get to the courtyard! Now!-

Hiloria stared as the robot ran out of the room, a hum building around it. Milodi started shuffling faster, but she was still slow. Hurt? A rumble sounded in the distance and then Hiloria jumped as the 'ratatat' of automatic chemical propellant weapon fire sounded from not very far away at all. It continued, the bursts careful and obviously aimed.

"What is going on?" Hiloria demanded as she moved to support Milodi who smiled at her, but it was melancholy.

"Sofia asked you about changing the past and the Chosen interrogated you. Only after that could we act." Milodi said softly. Hiloria stared at her. "We kept an eye on her, to make sure those awful humans wouldn't kill her. Come on."

She urged the other on as the pair exited the building, but then Hiloria froze in horror. The Enlightenment Center she had known as home for most of her life was a blasted ruin. The marks of damage were everywhere, weapons fire had torn many of the statues to pieces. The walls were rubble, the signs all faded. There were remains scattered everywhere. Some were human, most were not. To Hiloria's eyes, they did not lie as if they had been fighting. They lay as if they had simply fallen over. Milodi continued, pulling Hiloria on.

"Come _on!_ We have to go! The Colonel can _delay_ the Lost, but she cannot _stop_ them. Nothing _can_."

The whoosh of a flamethrower sounded and guttural sounds heralded over a dozen misshapen humanoids appearing in the distance. Another burst of weapon fire from somewhere out of sight slammed into the group and half of them went down, but the other half charged Milodi and Hiloria. Milodi's eyes flashed and three of the group suddenly flew into the air to slam back down, taking out another as they burst like overripe fruit.

Then Milodi staggered and fell. Hilori tried to pull her up, but the other couldn't rise.

"Leave me." Milodi begged. "I have done what needed to be done. Maybe _you_ can fix this. I couldn't. I tried, Sister. I tried."

"I AM NOT LEAVING YOU!" Hiloria screamed and the remaining Lost ran towards her. She rose and cast out with her mind. One of the Lost succumbed to her commands, throwing itself into the others, but then something else happened. Feedback? Whatever it was hit her like an out of control transport and staggered her.

"No! Don't!" Milodi begged as she fought her way to her knees. "Sister! Don't touch their minds! Let it go! It will-"

Too late. Pure white hot agony tore through Hiloria's mind from the Lost as it hit its allies. It was unlike any mind she had ever touched before. She was screaming silently as she collapsed to her knees. The one she had controlled fell and would not rise again, but she was incapacitated. All she could do was watch the mass of Lost closing in on her, then the robotic form of the Colonel slammed into their midst. A blade that coruscated with pure blue energy appeared in the fist of the war machine and the Lost had no chance to react as she sliced each down with crisp, clean movements that spoke of long practice. In moments, none were standing, but she turned away, her sword vanishing and her rifle coming to hand. It started barking at enemies Hiloria could not see.

"-hurt you. Hiloria." Milodi begged as she grabbed hold of the trembling Priest. Hiloria could not move, could not speak. Energy was arcing through her uncontrollably. "No! Lady! Help! She touched its mind!"

 _Hold her tight. I will do what I can._ The mind of the Ethereal was stern as something enveloped Hiloria's mind, soothing her hurts. _It is what you know to do, but_ _touching such a mind when you have no idea what to expect_ _was dumb. Transport is overhead. Get ready!_

Hiloria stared up at the sky as a purple shape appeared over the blasted cityscape. An Advent ship? No. It didn't -quite- look like Advent manufacture. Blue beams of energy snapped down from it, encompassing Hiloria, Milodi and the robot thing called Colonel. She braced herself and the transport was just as jarring as when she had done such in Advent service. She landed on her feet, but her legs would not hold her up. A completely unexpected voice cried out nearby as she fell in a heap.

" _ **No!**_ " Sofia? " _ **MOM!**_ "

"Sofia, no! Don't touch her! You know what can happen!" Milodi snapped, as hands grabbed Hiloria and laid her out on a warm deck. "Damn. We can't heal this. Lady!" She called.

 _I am here._ A soft, warm voice swept through Hiloria and she gasped in relief as the pain that had been tearing through her faded. _Don't ever try to mind_ _control_ _the Lost, girl. They do not appreciate that._ The voice was both amused and worried.

"That… I never… The Lost don't..." Hiloria begged as hands checked her vitals and soothing energy swept through her, erasing her aches.

 _The Lost you know do not have that power, no._ The Lady sounded grim now. _The ones we know do._

"How far?" Hiloria begged. The only thing that this could possibly be, to have X-Com _and_ Advent working _together_ in a ruined, blasted remnant of the city she had called home… She had traveled in _time_. That wasn't supposed to be _possible_. "I mean… How long?" She pleaded.

"It has been thirty human years since the Elders died." Milodi was crying softly. "The planet died with them. The fools didn't know what they were doing."

-Nor did they care.- This was the Colonel. -They won. End of story. They all died in the process along with 95% of the human race, but they won. Hooray.- The ship's hum changed. -How long to base?-

"Two hours, twenty three minutes at max speed, Colonel." A firm male voice sounded replied. "Can she fix this? Really?"

"Right now, we need to worry about how much damage she took." Milodi snapped. "Sofia! Back off!" She commanded. "If you touch her, you will both suffer even if a paradox doesn't kill you."

"But it is my _Mom!_ " Sofia begged.

"What?" Hiloria asked into a sudden silence. "How? Why? That… No." No one spoke and she cracked her eyes. The robot Colonel held an older form of Sofia bodily away from her. "Sofia. Calm down." She said quietly. Sofia jerked and then nodded, visibly forcing herself to relax. "I do not know you." Sofia jerked and tears were falling. "You call me 'Mom', but I do not know you."

"You are my mother." Sofia said through her tears. "You bore me. It wasn't your choice, but you bore me and loved me. They _killed_ you!"

"Stop!" Hiloria snapped and everyone stared at her. "Sofia, _stop_. What little I know about temporal mechanics says that paradoxes will be no fun at all." Everyone nodded at that. "I… Sofia..."

"Mom, please. You can..." She jerked as the robot pulled her away. "No! Colonel! No! She is my _mo_ _ther_!"

-And she is _hurt_.- The Colonel said savagely. -Give her time to _heal_ before you drop the universe on her.- An alarm sounded and the Colonel spun to the side. -Report!-

"Advent class 2 fighter craft on an intercept course." The male voice was clipped and professional. "I am detecting five. A full attack wing."

-Shit. I hoped to be in and out before the Damned saw anything.- The Colonel snarled. -Time to emergency jump?-

"Jump drives are powering now but it will take three minutes to cycle the hyperjump capacitors to full strength." The other replied. "They will be on us before then."

-Double shit.- The colonel sighed. -Everyone strap in. Milodi, get our guest situated. Sofia, get to the dorsal weapons bay. I will take the ventral guns. Sam, try to keep them from englobing us.-

"Yeah, give me the hard job." The male quipped as the ship's engines change pitch. Hiloria stared as the robot and Sofia vanished in balls of blue light. She turned to Milodi was was pulling something out of a compartment.

"Who are you fighting?" Hiloria asked as Milodi sat down beside her, laying a series of straps beside her that looked as if they were intended to hold her in place in a seat. Milodi made a gesture and Hiloria rolled onto her side, then back onto the straps as Milodi swung them underneath her. Then Milodi started securing the straps. "Or do I want to know?"

"Not who." Milodi said with a sigh as she finished, then helped Hiloria to a seat nearby before starting to connect her to the seat. " _What_. There is no life in any of the ships. Just psionic residues."

"Psionic _what_?" Hilora demanded as Milodi finished and started strapping herself in.

"Psionic residues." Milodi groaned a little as she finished. "What happened killed everything anywhere close to Earth. The Colonel and I were locked in combat on the far side of Earth's moon when it happened. Suddenly, everyone else was dead. When we came back around the Moon, the world we knew was gone. All that was left was horror. Death. The Lost and the Damned are the inheritors of Earth now."

"The Damned?" Hiloria asked carefully.

"They are echoes of beings who died in the cataclysm. They are not material, but they are incredibly dangerous because they remember being material and can affect material things. I need to focus. I can hold them off long enough for us to escape." Milodi said softly.

-Don't you _dare!_ \- The Colonel snapped from somewhere. -You will kill yourself this time!-

"How long can you hold off _five_ of them, Colonel?" Milodi demanded as she focused her will. "I only need to hold them, not stop them."

-Do not let her sing!- The Colonel called to Hiloria who jerked and reached out to Milodi.

Milodi shook her head as Hiloria's hands fell just short, obviously by plan. She started to hum.

"Sister, no." Hiloria begged. "No. I can help."

"Thirty years, sister." Milodi said sadly. "Thirty years of _hell_. I can do this."

 _Do not._ The voice of the Lady spoke sternly into their minds. _Backup is inbound._

"No. Lady! Let me go! I have done what was needed." Milodi was crying as something Hiloria could barely see wrapped around her. "How many more must die for me?"

 _None._ The Lady said firmly. _They do what has to be done not because of you or for you, but because it has to be done._ Hiloria gasped as something grabbed hold of her mind and yanked. Hard. _Priest Hiloria, are you well?_

Hiloria felt odd. She was falling, no, she was floating again. She heard Milodi scream her name and then she was falling. She landed on her bed and stared at walls that were so familiar and suddenly not at all familiar anymore. She stared around wildly and stiffened as a ghostly presence shifted into her sight. The older Sofia was crying.

 _The pull of time is too strong._ _We cannot hold you no matter how hard we try. They do not understand._ _They think you can stop it. I fear you cannot. You tried._ Sofia said sadly, her voice fading. _You do not understand and no one will believe you. Please,_ _M_ _om. Don't give in. Don't give_ _ **up**_ _._ **I love you!**

The last was a tiny scream that faded as she did.

Hiloria lay on her bed, staring at the place where the spectral Sofia had been. Then she opened her mind slowly. The song of the Elders filled her.

 _ **Daughter?**_ The mind of the Elders was surprised, but pleased to sense her.

 _Elders. Something very strange just happened._ Hiloria said weakly. _I just experienced an oddity. I think it was a temporal one._

 _ **A**_ **what** _ **?**_ The minds of the Elders suddenly focused on her with laser like intensity. Instead of answering, she opened her mind, but instead of her memories being parsed by them, static filled the link and she gasped as pain flared. _**Daughter, what? No. No! Stop! Now!**_

 _Elders?_ Hiloria begged. _What is happening to me?_

 _ **That is temporal feedback.**_ _ **Your mind**_ did _ **travel through time.**_ _ **You know that time and space are one, Daughter**_ _._ The minds of the Elders felt subdued. Scared almost. _**The trained mind can transcend such, b**_ _ **u**_ _ **t only with incredible power behind it and the dangers are far too great to do such in any but the most grievous extremity.**_ Hiloria started to speak and it hushed her. _**No. Do not speak of it. Whatever you encountered must not be spoken aloud or mind to mind over a network.**_ _ **Between the danger of paradox and the feedback, the chance of you extinguishing yourself**_ _ **or this timeline**_ _ **is great. No. Do not speak of it.**_ _ **We must think on this. Speak to**_ **no** **one** _ **of this.**_ **No** **one.**

 _As you wish._ Hiloria said sadly. _What can I do?_

 _ **You feel different.**_ _ **Cleaner. Brighter.**_ The Elders sounded awed. _ **Are you linked to the girl already?**_

 _Yes._ That she could say with no complications. She hoped so anyway. _She seems to have feelings for me and I do not know why._ Not entirely true, but mostly.

 _ **What do you wish to do?**_ The Elders were asking _her_? What the hell?

 _We need to find out where she came from._ Hiloria said slowly. _I may know more, but you have commanded me not to speak of that, so I will not until you allow it._

 _ **We may not, Daughter.**_ The Elders sounded unsure now and Hiloria hated that. _**Time is something that no one with any brains messes with lightly.**_

 _I can understand that. I will contact Special Resources and ask for an interrogator who specializes in non-violent questioning._ Hiloria said with a wince. _Sofia trusts me somewhat, but she will not accept what I need to do._

 _ **If someone else does it, it will not undercut your bond with her**_ _._ The Elders replied. _**We will order it. They will be ready tomorrow. Rest now, Daughter. You feel stressed.**_

The link faded and Hiloria stared up at her ceiling, her mind whirling.

"More than anyone can ever know..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Temporal relations**

Hiloria was sitting in Sofia's room when the girl yawned and opened her eyes. She stared around for a moment, and then her eyes focused on Hiloria, who smiled.

"Good morning, Sofia. Did you sleep well?"

"I did, Sister Hiloria." Sofia said with a nod. "I feel good. I think." She qualified.

"May I approach?" Hiloria asked, still working hard to be gentle and patient.

"You could have hurt me." Sofia would not meet her gaze. "You could have done all kinds of things to me. You did not. I don't… I don't know what to think."

"I know the feeling." Hiloria admitted. Sofia stared at her and Hiloria shook her head. "Sofia, something very odd happened to me last night. I need to touch you."

"You could just do it." Sofia said weakly. "You could have while I slept."

"I did touch you while you slept." Hiloria admitted. Sofia's face hardened, but Hiloria continued. "You scared me." Sofia's eyes bulged but Hiloria continued. "You said something to me in your sleep last night that confused me a great deal." Hiloria nodded as Sofia jerked. "What do you remember from before the evil humans?"

"What?" Sofia obviously hadn't been expecting that question.

"It is very important, Sofia." Hiloria said sadly. "I cannot speak of what I saw and I do not know how it happened. But what I _do_ know is that you and I are connected in some way. Can you feel my mind without me pushing?" She asked as she focused on Sofia, who gasped again. Hiloria smiled as Sofia stared at her. _You can._

"This is- No!" Sofia said weakly. "This is wrong!"

"Is it?" Hiloria did not move. "May I approach you?" She paused and spoke a single word into Sofia's mind. _Daughter?_ She was not expecting Sofia to _scream_.

" _NO!_ " Sofia recoiled away from Hiloria, backing all the way across the bed until she slammed into the wall next to it. " _WHAT HAVE I DONE?_ "

"Sofia, Sofia..." Hiloria was on her feet and at Sofia's side in an instant. "Easy, girl. Easy." She took Sofia in her arms and held her as the young human started to cry. She didn't know what she was doing, but it felt right as she rocked Sofia gently. "Do not speak. Do not try to explain." She cautioned as Sofia opened her mouth. "There are so many ways this can go wrong. We must be very cautious." The girl looked startled and then nodded. This was no nine year old. Not a chance. "We need corroboration of where you came from. You hid it well, from everyone." Sofia flushed in shame, but Hiloria just hugged her. "You had a perfectly valid reason. No one would have believed you."

"I can't remember it all!" Sofia was crying into Hiloria's shoulder as the hybrid held her. "It is all jumbled, confusing. I know I know you. I feel for you. You are my mom. But I am not- _You_ are not- This makes no _sense!_ " She was fighting for control as Hiloria held her.

"I know you are not nine years old, Sofia." Hiloria said gently. "We need to find out where you came from and what you really are. I know you are scared. I am too. I fear what we will discover. I truly do." She hugged Sofia again. "But you are not alone. Do you trust me?"

Sofia stared at Hiloria and then her face settled. _I do._

 _Then come._

* * *

An hour later

Hiloria held her hand as Sofia slowly relaxed on the padded table. She was humming along with Milodi who stood near one wall, singing a soothing tune softly. As Hiloria had hoped, the two had hit it right off. Then again, if what Hiloria feared _was_ true, then Sofia likely knew Milodi. Somehow. Kriso stood beside Milodi, his face severe.

Hiloria hadn't explained much to anyone. She had to obey the Elder's command not to speak of this. But she also had to help Sofia and maybe herself in the process.

The Priest nodded to the sole other occupant of the room, who nodded back as he stepped forward. She knew the hybrid in Trooper armor wasn't just a Trooper. She wasn't going to ask, even when he had introduced himself as 'Jones'. Special Resources troops rarely gave names, but this was an extraordinary case and it was likely not his real name. She had no idea why Kriso had snickered at that name. He had refused to explain.

She did not like the device on Sofia's left wrist that would medicate her as needed. That was the hand Hiloria held, for all the good it would likely do. The drugs bothered her on a number of levels, not the _least_ of which was the girl's casual acceptance of said drugs. No, not acceptance. Resignation. Had she given up? Hiloria also did not like the metal circlets that both she and Sofia wore now. The energy she could feel pulsing from them felt wrong.

"Sofia? We are ready to begin." 'Jones' said with a nod to the girl. "Right now, the most important thing is your comfort level. We do not want to hurt you. If anything hurts or feels odder than usual, say so. Quickly."

"This thing is cold." Sofia said weakly, waving her unencumbered hand toward her head. "It… It feels wrong." Hiloria gave her hand a squeeze of agreement, and Sofia relaxed.

"The Scryer reads your brainwaves and it is highly intrusive." Jones sounded apologetic. "There really is not any other way for anyone other than a psionically gifted being to see what you saw. You hid the truth from them."

"I didn't have a choice!" Sofia pleaded.

"No, you didn't." Hiloria said quietly, giving the distraught girl's hand another squeeze. "Even the Elders are worried about the repercussions of this. What happens in here is for our ears and the Elders'. Those are their orders, not mine. No one else is cleared for this. I wouldn't have even exposed Sister Milodi and Brother Kriso to this except they already have been. Is that understood?" she commanded, and all three of the others nodded. "I am forbidden to speak of it, but Sofia is not. If what I fear is true, you will understand shortly." She reached out with her mind and Sofia let her in, the girl smiling as Hiloria's mind enveloped hers.

"Calming agent administered." 'Jones' said as he tapped controls. Hiloria could feel Sofia relax even further. "Sofia? I need you to think back. It may hurt, it may not. If it does, say so and we will try something else. What is the very first thing you remember?"

"First? Cold. It was cold." Sofia's eyes were closed and her face was scared. Hiloria held her limp hand. "I was cold. I remember… I am cold."

"Focus. Good. Keep that in your thoughts and you will remain there. Do you know where you are?" 'Jones' asked quietly. "What do you see?" An image appeared on a screen nearby, a view from two eyes. Bare metal walls.

"I do not know this place. It is familiar. Not in a good way." Sofia replied, her tone listless. "Something… Something warm has wrapped around me. I look up. I see her face. She smiles at me." The view from Sofia's eyes turned to show Hiloria's face, smiling at her. But the Priest looked awful. Older, tired. In pain?

"Who?" 'Jones' asked quietly. "Who do you see?"

"Sister Hiloria." Sofia was crying softly. "She is holding me, but she… She is hurting. Why is she hurting?" She pleaded as Milodi gasped. Hiloria held up her free hand for silence and Milodi nodded an apology.

"Where are you?" 'Jones' asked. "Can you see where you are?"

"A cell? The walls and floor are metal." Sofia said in a monotone. "Cold, hard metal. Bare metal. One wall is not metal. It is...blue? I can see through it, but I know, somehow I cannot pass through it. It is Sister Hiloria holding me. But it is not this one here. Is she talking to me? She _is_. It is in my head and she is so nice. She says she loves me." Milodi clasped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. Hiloria felt her eyes burn, and Kriso? He was a statue. "I love her. She says she is my mother and I am beautiful. Am I?"

"You are." Hiloria said in a very quiet voice. "It is okay, Sofia."

"No." Sofia said weakly and then she started to cry. Then she was all but babbling even with the drugs. " _No! Mom! No!_ **No!** _Don't take me!_ **No!** _Let me go! She is hurt! Can't you see she is hurt?_ "

"Sofia, what is happening?" 'Jones' kept his tone calm, Hiloria had no idea how. She was _anything_ but calm.

"They hurt her. She fell over and now she cannot get up." Sofia said weakly. "The blue wall is gone, but I cannot move! They are coming. She is screaming at them. Mom! No!"

Hiloria reacted on pure instinct. She threw herself into Sofia's mind. There was no resistance. Sofia was crying hard as Hiloria pulled her mind close and held it tight. It felt so right. She saw what Sofia did.

But what Sofia saw was so _wrong!_

Hiloria stared out of very small eyes at a scene out of nightmare. The room _was_ a cell, sm _all and bare._ She saw herself lying on the floor. Both of the other her's legs were gone at the hip and the maimed hybrid wore nothing but some medical monitoring gear. The other her wasn't bleeding, but Hiloria could sense a wrongness in the broken hybrid. A decay? No. It was something she couldn't define.

All that paled as Sofia's small eyes slid to the two forms who entered the cell. A male and a female. Both wore the helmets of Templars. The female, Hiloria did not know. The male, she _did!_ Marric Shüller stood over the fallen, broken Hybrid as the female reached for Sofia. The 'then' Sofia screamed, and her hands slammed into the female Templar's hands, who recoiled as if in pain. Sofia's hands… They were not flesh! They were blue _energy!_

"After all this time." Shüller's voice held triumph. "We have done it. We have our victory."

"You have won… _nothing!"_ The maimed Hiloria gasped out savagely. "I will not… let you… hurt her."

"You cannot stop us, alien filth!" The Templar's weapons shimmered into life, and he raised them as the woman tried to grasp Sofia again, and Sofia fled back. "Just grab the brat and we can end this."

"You are still a _fool_ , Templar. _Her_ name is Sofia, not 'brat'." The Hiloria in Sofia's memory said snidely. He lashed out with his crystal gauntlets and she fell still. She wasn't going to rise again even as blue energy swirled around him.

"Well, _you_ are dead." Shüller laughed coldly as Sofia screamed. "What? _No!_ "

The present time Hiloria stiffened as the form that might someday be her was suddenly glowing green. It fell apart into a myriad of small glowing motes as _another_ Hiloria appeared in the corner of the room. This one was also maimed, but _her_ hands were limned with blue fire.

"How the hell?" Shüller snapped and then shook his head. "Nice trick, Advent filth."

"Sometimes it pays to have friends. Not that _you_ would know about such, fanatic." The spectral Hiloria said quietly. "Sofia, come here." The perspective changed. Had Sofia ducked under the Templar reaching for her? Then she jerked and pain flared as Shüller slashed at her. Sofia screamed and the watching Hiloria screamed with her daughter as shared pain seared her too.

"No!" _Both_ Hilorias _and_ the female Templar shouted that as one.

"Don't hurt her!" The memory Hiloria said with real fear in her eyes. "You do not know what you are _doing_!"

"I am saving _humanity!_ " Shüller slashed again and this time, the female Templar blocked his attack. "What are _you_ doing?"

"Can't you feel it?" The female Templar demanded. "The offspring's power is growing exponentially! We will not be able to control it!"

"I _can!_ " Shüller seemed to be all but frothing at the mouth. "I _will_ fulfill my destiny. No one can stop me! Not the Elders, not Geist, not even the mighty Commander of XCOM himself!"

"What are you- No!" The Templar blocked the next attack with her own body. She fell in a heap between the mad Templar and Sofia, who had reached the maimed Hiloria now. The human woman looked at Hiloria, her helmet rent. A blue eye that was visible through the hole and it was sad. "I am sorry."

She tried to pull herself to Hiloria, but she fell and lay still.

"So am I." The spectral Hiloria held Sofia now, but the present Hiloria could feel power expanding in the girl. _Incredible_ power, far beyond her capability. Maybe beyond the _Elders_ ' capability, as blasphemous as that thought was. There was no way Sofia could control such. Nothing Hiloria knew of _could_. "You have no idea what you have done, you stupid human." She gasped as electricity coursed from the mad Templar's hands into her. She fell to the floor, still putting herself between Sofia and the Templar.

Wait. How had the female Templar made it all the way to Sofia? She was holding Sofia, but gently!

"Girl, listen to me." The woman spoke as the memory Hiloria screamed in agony. "You have to release the power. You cannot hold it. I didn't know. I didn't _understand_. Now I do. He will kill us _all_."

"Die, you Advent filth!" Shüller slammed the other Hiloria and she literally came apart in a haze of purplish-blue energy.

" _ **Mom!**_ " Sofia screamed and raw power flew from her. Shüller spun and his posture was amazed as the power flared _through_ him. Then he jerked as if he was a puppet whose strings had been cut.

 _No…_ The present time Hiloria gasped as the Templar _disintegrated_. He simply ceased to be. Sofia had killed him! _More_ than killed him, she had _destroyed_ him! _Sofia, no… No._

"What have we done?" The female Templar was still alive even as Sofia turned her eyes on her. "Forgive me. I didn't understand."

" _ **DIE!**_ " Hiloria could only stare as the hands that were raised in front of her, flesh and blood hands now, limned with coruscating blue fire.

 _Stop!_ Everything did as a blue form coalesced into being in the middle of the cell. Sofia's mother was crying. _Sofia, stop. You_ _must_ _not do this. You_ must not _perish here. You. What is your name?_ She demanded of the female Templar even as blue energy flared from her and the Templar gasped as her wounds healed.

"My name is Greta." The Templar bowed her head. "I didn't understand."

 _That does not excuse what_ _you_ _just did._ The spectral Hiloria said savagely. _What_ **he** _just unleashed._

"What?" The female Templar -Greta- sounded punch-drunk. "He didn't. It wasn't _ready!_ "

 _The weapon_ **was** _ready. He used my_ _energy, my_ _flesh and blood to prime it._ Hiloria said sadly. _The_ **controls** _were not ready. He needed her in place to focus it._ _It would have drained her utterly, killed her, but he didn't care._ _With his death, it_ _began its activation sequence._ _Some kind of fail-safe._ _Unguided, it will kill everything._

"No!" Greta pleaded. "We have to… I can..."

 _You cannot stop it_ _and I have_ moments _to exist on this plane_ _._ _The weapon will kill everything on the planet no matter ho_ _w_ _well protected. Just as he planned_ _all along,_ _although he_ _probably_ _plan_ _ned_ _on_ _focusing the power,_ _on_ _aiming it himself. Now?_ _Only_ distance _will protect from the_ _pulse._ _Everything with psionic potential_ _in its range_ _will die,_ the other Hiloria said sadly. _I may be able to… I don't know if I can do this. Come here._ _Both of you._ She commanded and the Templar crawled to her. The spectral Hiloria seemed to become more solid and her voice solidified too. Sofia's view was moving. Was she shaking her head? "Sofia, come here. I need some of your power. I do not know if this will hurt or not. Sister Milodi was sent to rescue the moon base that X-Com attacked. People there may survive this. No one else will."

"There has to be _something_ we can do!" Greta begged.

"There is. Freely offered. Freely given. One life, for all. I love you, Sofia." Hiloria said sadly as she reached for Sofia. Sofia was crying as her mother pulled her close, held her gently. Incredible energy flared from Sofia into her mother who seemed to drink it in. "Sofia, Greta. You are our only chances. Stop Shüller."

"But he has _already_..." Greta froze and her voice turned _terrified!_ "No… _No, that is_ _**impossible!**_ "

"Nothing is impossible, Templar." The other Hiloria said with a smile as energy expanded from her hands to hold both Sofia and the stricken human woman. Both of them wavered and vanished in bursts of psychic energy. The spectral Hiloria turned to look at the watching one. _Is it, sister?_

 _I…_ The watching Hiloria slumped a bit and then nodded. _No._ _Nothing is._ _She is my daughter._ **Our** _daughter. I will care for her._

 _Sh_ _ü_ _ller_ _will do anything in his power to get hold of her_ _once he realizes she exists_ _._ The other Hiloria warned. _Anything at all. She is his dream. A weapon that cannot be stopped._

 _She is more than a weapon!_ Hiloria snapped, hugging Sofia's crying mind to her own.

 _You know he is not the only one who will think that._ With that, Hiloria was back in her own body, holding Sofia's hand as the girl sobbed her heart out. She knew without being told that the other had used her last life force to do what had to be done.

"Did you see?" Hiloria asked as she gathered Sofia up and held her tight as she cried.

"We did." 'Jones' actually sounded shaken. "By the _Elders_ , this is a _mess_."

"I didn't _mean_ to, Mom!" Sofia pleaded as Hiloria held her. "I swear I didn't _mean_ to be bad. I woke up in the forest. I wandered around and those… those people found me. I thought they would help me, but they didn't. They _didn't_. While they had me, I couldn't _think_ straight!" She laid her head on Hiloria's shoulder and the hybrid just held her as she cried.

"We will help you." Hiloria promised. She looked at the interrogator who nodded. She reached into Sofia's mind and eased the girl into sleep patterns. " _I_ did that. _I_ sent her _back_ in _time_." Awe and horror matched wits in her tone.

"As humans say: 'Oh shit!'." Kriso was pale and Milodi was praying hard. "She was energy that manifested flesh. That was… Hiloria, that in and of _itself_ was incredible."

"I don't know if _he_ did it, _I_ did it, _she_ -, _whatever_." Hiloria snarled at her inability to articulate. "I _do_ know Sofia destroyed him utterly and that set off his weapon, whatever it was."

" _She_ is a weapon. I _have_ to report this." 'Jones' said slowly. Hiloria made a face, and he nodded. "I do not know what my superiors are going to do, but I _do_ know they will not react well."

"She needs control." Hiloria said sadly as she held Sofia's small form. "I don't want to do this. I don't. But she is incredibly dangerous, far more so than I thought. She does not want to be, but she is."

 _Mom…_ Sofia's sleepy mind silenced everything. _Do what you have to. I trust you._

"I thought you were asleep?" Hiloria asked, worried.

 _Almost. I love you, Mom._ Sofia said sadly and then she was gone from Hiloria's mind.

"I love you too, Sofia." Hiloria sighed and nodded to the others. "Report what you must to your superiors." She said to 'Jones' who nodded. "I cannot speak of it."

"For very good _reason_." Kriso was still awed. "If that Templar finds out about her… He will hunt her."

"Could the Chosen help?" Milodi said softly. Everyone stared at her, and she flushed. "Never mind. That was a stupid question."

"They would not react well to such a thing. They will see her as a threat to themselves or worse, something to be used and thrown away." 'Jones' sounded sick for a moment. "What will you do?" He asked Hiloria who nodded.

"I will teach her everything I know about controlling power. I think what she did was instinctive, in response to him killing..." She swallowed hard and Milodi moved to lay a hand on her arm. "...her mother. With control, she will be far less of a threat." Hiloria held the slumbering girl gently as she started for the door. "With the link we share, she will learn very quickly."

Milodi and Kriso moved to flank her as the door opened and she moved to it.

"But for now? I am taking her to Renas." Hiloria gently stroked Sofia's head. Her tone was sad but proud. "It is time she joined Advent. A control chip will help her _significantly_."

"I will do my best to help her acclimatize once the chip is in." Milodi said quietly. Hiloria nodded her thanks. "She is a good kid, Hiloria."

"She is not a kid." Kriso warned.

"She is to me." Hiloria replied without heat.

"She _is_ and always _will be_ my daughter."


	8. Chapter 8

**Almost**

Hiloria smiled at Sofia as the girl thought her way through the exercise that Hiloria had set her. Renas wasn't quite ready to do the operation since no one wanted to take any chances with Sofia's life. She needed time to prepare. So, when Sofia had woken from her nap, Hiloria had started teaching her. The basics of control were pretty much the same for everyone.

Sofia looked up from her puzzle and nodded to Hiloria who smiled as she saw the cubes had been realigned properly.

"Very good, Sofia." Hiloria said with a smile. "Ready to try three?"

"Yes, Sister Hiloria." Sofia said with a matching smile as two more puzzle cubes hovered from a storage locker to settle in front of her. She focused on them as Hiloria scrambled all of their surfaces. Each had nine squares to a side and each side was a different color. In moments, each cube surface was a mash of many different colors. Sofia nodded and focused her will on the cubes, taking them from Hiloria who nodded. Each of the three floated into midair as Sofia focused on rotating each, trying to get the colors to match.

Despite the resemblance, they were not quite like the old human toys once called Rubik's Cubes. They did have colored surfaces that moved in lines of squares like the human toys had once, but there the similarities ended. These had holographic squares instead of physical ones with stickers and said squares could not be manipulated by touch. They had to be moved telekinetically and moving more than one at once was a skill that taught multi-tasking. These were psionic training devices that Hiloria had started her own training with. She herself could manage twelve of them at once now and she bet Sofia could do more when trained. Sofia was good, very good. She also had an advantage that Hiloria herself had lacked.

Hiloria herself.

It was unspoken between them that neither would comment on the horrors that had been shown in Sofia's memory. Sofia worked hard not to call Hiloria, 'Mom', but anyone with mental powers would feel the affection she felt for the hybrid now. Milodi couldn't stop smiling every time she saw them. Most anyone with power would feel what Hiloria felt for Sofia too. It was hard for her to describe. She knew on an incredibly deep level now that this young-looking being was her offspring. That Sofia had come into the world due to _her_.

Hiloria jerked as a rumble sounded. She was on her feet as Sofia looked at her, the cubes falling a few centimeters before she caught them with her mind.

"Keep working on them. You need to focus on control more than anything else now." Hiloria said with a nod. "I will see what is happening." Then she paused. "When you think you can… Try these." The storage compartment opened and half a dozen various shapes with holographic surfaces hovered out to settle on the floor nearby. "I bet you will learn far faster than I did." She said with a smile.

"As you wish, … Sister Hiloria." Sofia corrected herself with a grimace. Hilora stepped to her side and touched her shoulder.

 _Soon, we will not have to hide who you are. Soon you can take your rightful place among us._ Hiloria said softly into her daughter's mind. _I am so very proud of you. Most sentients would be paralyzed by fear or indecision. You fear and you know that you do not know it all, but you do not let it stop you. You make me very proud._

Sofia did not respond, but her cheeks were pink as she focused on her work, the holograms flying as she twisted them to fit. Hiloria smiled and left the room, locking the door behind her. It wasn't to secure Sofia as much as to protect her. Sofia knew it. What was more? She accepted it. She knew _exactly_ how dangerous she was.

Hiloria stared down both hallways, puzzled. Where had the rumble come from? This area was geologically stable, and there hadn't been any dissident attacks in this area for some time.

There was no warning at all. Before Hiloria could even process the fact that something was moving towards her, the blurred shape was on her. She was slammed to the ground by a powerful blow. For a moment, nothing hurt and then pain tore through her. She stared up at blue skin and glowing eyes. The female Chosen snarled at her.

"Where is the weapon?" The Chosen Assassin demanded. "You are the one who found it! Where is it?"

 _SOFIA! RUN!_ Hiloria screamed in her mind. She felt a small hesitation and then a blankness as Sofia did as ordered.

"What have you _done_?" The Assassin demanded as she grabbed Hiloria's head in a grip that even at her best, Hilora would never have been able to break. Now? All she could do was twist in pain as the Elders' champion shook her and then shifted her grip so Hiloria could see her face. "Where did you send it?"

"Cease this!" A voice Hiloria remembered came and she felt fear blossom as the Chosen _Warlock_ appeared in the distance. "These are _mine!_ "

Both Chosen jumped as another form from nightmare shimmered into being, the long rifle in his hands aimed in their general direction. Hiloria felt faint. The Chosen were fighting over Sofia? No!

"Are they?" The Chosen _Hunter_ asked mildly as he took in the scene. "Ah, you lost it. Poor girl. Always losing things."

"No." Hiloria begged as the Assassin pulled her closer. "Don't… _She is not a threat...!_ " She felt a blow before she could finish her sentence and faded to darkness before she could utter the words.

'...unless we make her one!'

* * *

Later

Hiloria hurt. Every muscle, every fiber of her being hurt as she regained consciousness. She reached out to the Elders and screamed as something shocked her. Her eyes flew open and she was lying on the floor of an Advent cell. She had seen them many times, but never from _this_ angle.

"Don't bother fighting." The Chosen Assassin stood nearby, her face hooded. "There is no honor to be found here. That thing must die."

"That _thing_ is a living sentient being who does not _want_ to be a threat!" Hiloria said weakly. Then she screamed as pain flowed through her again. "No! Please! The Elders commanded! I _cannot_ speak of this!"

"The Elders decreed the weapon must be examined and then destroyed." The Chosen said with a shake of her head. "Submit to the Elders' will."

"What?" Hiloria begged. "No. They… They cannot do that. Sofia is not a threat unless we make her one!" She screamed again as pain seared her mind. "Please! Stop! She..."

Her words failed her as pain tore through her. It was just as bad than when the Warlock had examined her. Maybe worse. Had he been holding back? Finally, the pain released her and she could do nothing but sob on the floor, praying to the Elders for deliverance.

"This makes no sense." The Assassin mused as Hilora wept. "You are loyal. Utterly loyal. So why are you fighting so hard?" A blue hand reached down into Hiloria's vision to grab Hiloria's chin. It pulled her face up to look at the Assassin who was scrutinizing her. "The Elders commanded. You will obey their commands."

"They did not command _me_." Hiloria managed to snap that then slumped, utterly spent.

"You know I speak for them. Resistance is pointless, Priest." The Chosen said with a puzzled look. "Why continue to struggle? All it does is prolong your pain. That thing must die."

" _SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!_ " Hiloria screamed into the Chosen's face. Wonder of wonders, the Chosen _recoiled._

"'What?'"Hilora had to be hearing things. Was the Chosen _surprised?_

"I _cannot_ speak of it, Chosen!" Hilora begged. "Or I _will_ cause a temporal paradox!"

"A..." The Chosen took a step back, to the wall of the cell. Her eyes were hooded as she digested that information. "I see."

"I… I cannot." Hiloria wept as she painfully pulled herself into a kneeling posture. She knelt formally and bowed her head. "Please. Slay me if you must, but… She does not want to be a threat. She does not want to hurt anyone. She has. She has both hurt and been hurt. She does not want that! She _could_ be a terror, an evil monster. She does not _wish_ to be!" she pleaded.

"For what it is worth, I believe you." The Chosen sounded _respectful_. "A mother's love is a mother's love. I have seen mothers do incredible things for their offspring far too often to doubt that you believe what you say. But my orders are clear. I regret this. There is no honor to be found here."

Hiloria was begging as the pain grabbed hold of her again, and this time, the agony did not let her go.

After an eternity, it ended and she was too spent to even cry. She was lying on the floor of the cell and could not move at all. A hand touched the back of her head and the Chosen's voice held respect.

"I never thought to meet a worthy opponent in Advent ranks. You fought hard and well." The hands eased her on the floor. "I have to kill her, Priest. You had to try to keep me from doing that. Know that there is no dishonor in not being able to stop me. You do not know where she went. I will find her. You have my word that when I _do_ find her, unlike the other Chosen, _I_ will make it swift and painless."

Hiloria was crying silently as the hands withdrew. She tried to reach out, but her hand wouldn't move and she could only stare as the door shut behind the Chosen and locked with a click. Her head fell to the floor and all she could do was weep.

* * *

Words roused Hiloria partway. She had no idea how long she had been in this place, this hell. They seemed to come from far away.

'We have him, but there is another prisoner here.' She heard a female voice. She did not know it. She was floating on a sea of lethargy. _Everything_ hurt. 'Commander, it is a hybrid and she has been interrogated. Roger that. We are on it.'

'We do not have time!' That voice was familiar? Wasn't it? 'As soon as 'Money Shot' picked him up, the whole _base_ went on alert. Firebrand is inbound with at least _twenty_ Advent transports less than five minutes behind her. The nerd missed a trap.'

'Hey!' A voice Hiloria did not know sounded irate.

'Just open the bloody door, Beta!" The familiar voice snapped. "Outrider, take point. He said 'bring her', we are bringing her. Besides, would _you_ want to be left to that _thing's_ 'care'?"

'No.' The one called Beta sounded upset.

Hiloria could not move, could not even raise her head as she heard the door to her cell click open. Boots stepped into her view, but it was too much effort to look higher.

"She is a mess." The voice was stronger. It _was_ familiar, but from where? Hiloria's head was fuzzy, she hurt in so many ways. "She is out of it. Easy, Ma'am. We got you."

Hiloria could do nothing as she was hefted. She was suddenly seeing the world upside down.

" _No!_ " That was the Chosen! "You will _not_ take her!"

"What?" The being who held Hiloria was running now. "Why the hell is that thing after you?" Hiloria was incapable of speech. "Beta! Take her!"

"Shogun!" The other protested, but Hiloria was suddenly moving and suddenly over someone _else's_ shoulder.

She fought hard not to retch as whoever was holding her ran harder. She saw a blue dot on the ground, some kind of glowing beacon. Clangs sounded from nearby. Whoever was holding her spun in place and Hiloria saw the Chosen locked blade to blade with a human! That was impossible, wasn't it? What was even more impossible was that the human was _winning!_ Every attack the Chosen made, the human _dodged_ and _countered_ _._ Hiloria could only gasp as the human struck a final time and the Chosen, one of the mightiest and most formidable of the Elders' servants, fell to lie still. Then she vanished in a haze of purple light.

 _I will come for her, X-Com._ The Chosen's snarl reverberated through Hiloria's mind. _You will not keep her!_

Hiloria could see the human's face as she strode towards where Hiloria hung. It was the Colonel from the future! Minus the robot parts.

Hiloria screamed as pain flared through her again, this time from inside her head! Her implant? She was flying. No, she was landing on a hard surface and she could not restrain another scream as she landed badly. New agony tore through her and then something went 'snap'. The pain flashed and faded. She saw nothing but a metal wall. Or a ceiling if she was lying on her back?

"Oh hell!" The man, Beta, sighed and something started to whir nearby. Boots clumped on metal and he stammered. "Uh… Boss? I... um… I think I hurt her."

"What the hell did you _do_?" The familiar voice said in a long suffering tone. "Oh shit. Tell me you didn't just break her _neck_ , Beta."

"I… um..." Beta stammered some more as firm hands took hold of Hiloria's skull and held it immobile. The rest of her body wasn't working right. "I dropped her." He said a bit sheepishly.

"You _moron!_ " The one that Hiloria knew as Colonel snapped. "Damn it! Outrider, hold her still! I will get a cervical collar from the medkit. Mox, you capable?"

Mox? Hilora stiffened as a very familiar voice sounded from nearby. _Another_ impossible voice. He was _dead_. She _knew_ he was dead!

"I hurt, but I am functional. I thank you, Jane Kelly." The being who Hiloria had known from the moment she had been aware said quietly. "You and your team both. I owe you now and I pay my debts. But this… No, it _cannot be_." He sounded hushed. Then his voice hardened. " _Beware_. This is Hiloria Mox. She is an Advent slave."

"I am not a slave!" Hiloria tried to shout that, but it came out a dull croak. The hands held her down a little tighter.

"Mox? You _know_ her?" Jane Kelly. Hiloria had a name to attach to the rank now.

"Yes, I do and yes, you are." Hiloria could do nothing as a form appeared in her vision, a horrific one. Pratal Mox stood there, his armor was not Advent. Not anymore. Now it was adored with other, cruder markings and... Was that an _animal fur_ over his shoulders? His face was so familiar, and she was crying as he shook his head, his eyes filled with disgust. "What is worse? You are a _willing_ slave." He spat the last at her.

"Pratal! No!" Hiloria begged as he spun on his heel and stalked away.

"Oh boy." Jane Kelly's voice held confusion, but then she sighed. "We have a long flight home. Hiloria, is it? You are hurt, but we are ordered to bring you in. We are going to immobilize you because you have spinal damage."

"Just kill me." Hiloria begged as loudly as she could, which was not very loud. "Please, it is what your kind do." A stunned silence greeted her words. "I cannot… Please, just kill me. I cannot. I cannot." _Elders!_ _S_ _ave_ _Sofia_ _!_ There was no reply and she sank into darkness still crying.

Something grabbed hold of her mind before oblivion took her. An outside force that she recognized. Pratal Mox was furious.

 _What have you done?_ He demanded angrily as his mind swept through hers. It was not psionic, whatever he was doing. _Has the high and mighty, holier-than-thou_ _P_ _riest finally fallen to Earth?_

 _Pratal?_ Hiloria said slowly. _I thought you were dead. They said you were dead,_ _that_ _your body_ _was_ _unrecoverable. I grieved for you._

 _Saying prayers to the Elders, of course._ Pratal Max snapped as his mind tore into hers. Her defenses were still down and did nothing to stop him. Her implant was not responding to her increasingly desperate attempts to activate it. _You will not escape so easily!_

 _I do not want to escape!_ Hiloria screamed as he tore through her mind, seeking something. _I need to understand._

 _What is to understand?_ The other Mox retorted. _I am free, you are not and you do not wish to be. The days of my taking_ anything _you say at face value ended a long time ago._

Hiloria felt her resolve crumble under his blunt fury and she spoke the words that she had been forcing back.

 _I have a daughter._ _You have a niece,_ _pod_ _brother._

The pain in her mind suddenly stopped. Everything stopped. Hiloria sank into the darkness that beckoned her gratefully. Part of her prayed she would not wake, but the rest of her knew this was only a temporary reprieve.

* * *

Still later

She swam back to consciousness aware she was lying on something. She could barely feel it, but she _could_ feel it. So she wasn't paralyzed. That was a good thing. She wasn't where she had been, but it was too much effort to open her eyes.

'...and she _lies_. It is what she _does_." The voice of Pratal Mox came to her ears, but oddly. As if distorted? "She serves the false gods loyally."

"Excuse me for saying this, Pratal, but so did you." This voice, Hiloria did not know. It was female and she was very much in change. It was also distorted. "So did _I_."

"It has to be a lie!" Pratal snapped. "We are sterile! None of us can sire or bear children!"

"That is why we are here." The other replied. "Why we are in this room, with the controls to keep her from being able to lie. We need to know why the Chosen all converged on one place, coincidentally, the Enlightenment Center where she was working. Why they attacked each other there." Hiloria felt fear blossom and the other continued. "We need to know why she was taken from there and interrogated so severely."

"It is a trick." Pratal Mox said with a grunt. "Another of the Elders' tricks. We all know the Chosen do not like each other, but they do not openly conflict with each other. Their false gods do not allow it. This is a trick or a trap and you know it."

"We _do not_ know that. She is awake. We need to start." The other said as light slammed into Hiloria's eyes. Her eyes had opened on their own! She hadn't done that! She saw another hybrid. The female wore armor a lot like Pratal's and nodded as she saw Hiloria's eyes on her.

"Hello, Hiloria Mox." The other said with a frown on her face. "Your control chip is under our control now, along with most of your voluntary muscles.

My name is Betos and we are going to talk."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chipped**

"That is impossible." Hiloria said weakly. "Such would kill me."

"It nearly did." Betos said with a shrug. "Then again, being dropped on your neck did not help matters either. Our allies repaired most of the damage, but at Pratal's insistence, they connected your control chip to this." She held up a remote. Hiloria's eyes widened and Betos nodded. "I hold your life in my hands."

"Then take it!" Hiloria snapped, a hint of her normal fire surfacing. "I won't help you."

"I don't have to. I am not like your fake gods." Betos smirked at Hiloria's expression "You know what I can do with this. Don't make me. Just answer our questions."

"No." Hiloria fought to close her eyes, but they did not obey her. "I will not help you."

"Yes, you will." Betos said mildly as Hiloria fought to remain in control of her emotions. "You know better than most how long it will take to break someone like you whose faith is strong. That is why I am about to break your faith into splinters."

"You can try, traitor!" Hiloria said firmly, but then she gasped as her body acted without her command. "No!" She snapped as her right arm came up and her right hand touched her head.

"The Elders created our kind." Betos was quiet, almost considered as she scrutinized Hiloria. "We were made to serve them. What happened to me was a fluke, a one in a billion chance encounter that fried my control chip but left me alive." She shook her head. "I had no idea what had happened or why. If any of my team had survived, they would have taken me back. I might have even wound up in your care, and you are certainly not a god."

"The Elders made us." Hiloria said fervently. "We owe them..."

"We owe them _nothing!_ " Betos snapped, her anger clear. "We are nothing to the Elders. _Nothing_. You may think you are more, but you are not. Priests are thrown away just as callously as Troopers."

"We have purpose!" Hiloria retorted, fighting for control. "You will not break me. Kill me and be done with it."

"Oh, I am not going to kill _you_." Betos smiled at Hiloria's expression. "I am not even going to break you. You are going to break _yourself_."

Hiloria gasped as Pratal entered the her view, hauling… She screamed as she saw _Milodi_ struggling in his grip. Her fellow Priest wore tattered robes instead of armor and she was obviously hurt. She wasn't going to be able to break Pratal's hold any more than _Hiloria_ had been able to break the _Chosen's_.

"You _animals_." Hiloria snarled as Pratal threw Milodi into a chair. Milodi stared around wildly, obviously terrified. Her mouth was taped over.

"We are _all_ animals, Hiloria Mox." Betos said mildly as Pratal strapped Milodi down. Then he stepped back, his face grim. Hiloria felt faint as he drew a long knife, but he didn't _do_ anything with it. He just held it. Milodi stared at it, eyes wide. "Anyone who says otherwise is deluding themselves. I am an animal, you are an animal. The only difference between us is I have no leash. You do. For now."

"I won't..." Hiloria stared and then she gasped as her body rose up from the bed. She wasn't in control. Betos held up the remote, and Hiloria gasped again as her body stepped towards Pratal. He held out the knife to her, handle first. Hiloria was fighting with everything she had as her hand reached out to take the blade from Pratal. "No!"

"Feel free to call on the Elders." Betos smirked at Hiloria's hate-filled expression. "See if your gods help you now. They can't. They are not gods, as you will see when they cannot save this other pawn. _You_ will remove her chip."

Hiloria had no control over anything as her body stepped towards where Milodi sat, her head shaking from side to side as she stared from Hiloria's face to the knife and back, her eyes imploring. There was only one thing to do, as blasphemous as it was. Hiloria focused as never before, and the she acted. She couldn't help it. She screamed as she fried _her_ control chip and searing pain tore through every nerve in her body. Everyone was shouting, moving as she spun the knife and plunged it deep into her own chest.

* * *

She knew she wasn't dead.

Nothing hurt. She was lying on a metal floor and she was not alone. Milodi lay beside her. The other hybrid had been crying, but now, she was asleep. Her robes were even more tattered than before. Her face was bruised and bloody. Her right arm was crudely bandaged and blood seeped from several places.

"What have you done to her?" Hiloria croaked as she reached out for Milodi, but her hands jerked up short. She stared at the manacles and the chains that held those to the floor. Now, she could see chains attached to Milodi's wrists too. "We won't help you."

"I admit to surprise." Betos' voice came from a hidden speaker. "I always thought you Priests were soft, relying on your minds to fight the way you do. But that was _impressive_. Not only what you did to yourself, but using your life force to free the other… That was impressive." She repeated. Hiloria was confused. She hadn't done that, had she? "Of course, she then tried to fight and she had no chance."

"Just kill us, traitor." Hiloria snapped. "You know you want to. We will not help you."

"I do not want to kill you, Hiloria." Betos sounded sad now. "You are free now. You can choose your own path. I didn't think you could do it, but Pratal insisted you could."

"A small piece of metal in my skull did not make me who and what I was." Hiloria said savagely. "You will not change me!" She jerked the chains again. "You know you want to kill me! _Do it!_ "

"You won't push her into doing that, Hiloria." Hiloria was actually _not_ shocked as _Kriso_ stepped into the cell. He was not bound. Nor was he armed, but the armor he wore was very similar to Pratal's." She is stronger than you can imagine."

"I wondered how they got Milodi out of the Center if all _three_ Chosen were fighting there. They did not." Hiloria said quietly. " _You_ did. _You_ betrayed us."

"From one point of view, yes." Kriso knelt beside Milodi, and his face was sad as he caressed her head. "She didn't deserve this, Hiloria. We will free her too if we can."

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Hiloria screamed and threw herself at Kriso. She didn't even get halfway before slamming to the end of the chain. She strained against them, but Kriso just shook his head. Milodi did not even twitch. Strong drugs.

"You are not going to break those, Hiloria." Kriso said sadly. " _I_ didn't when they took me, and I am physically stronger than you. You have no amp, and the fields in here are set to inhibit your natural psionic powers."

"How long did it take to get you to betray us?" Hiloria demanded. "A minute? A _second_?"

"It took a _week_ to break him." Betos sounded sick from her hidden speaker. "And then a _month_ for him to recover. We do not have that kind of time if what he has told me is true."

"You told them." For some reason, that betrayal hurt worse than the others.

"I told _her_." Kriso said quietly. "Only her. No one else."

"And I should just believe what you say." Hiloria said flatly. "Because you are so trustworthy now." The irony in her voice could have cut steel. She slowly moved until she was squatting on the floor, her legs coiled beneath her. She twisted until her hands were between her legs and held straight down.

"Hiloria, you are not going to break those." Betos warned, but Kriso was eyeing her carefully. "We do not want to hurt you or your daughter."

"Hiloria, don't." Kriso said softly. "We need you alive and intact to find Sofia. We need to find her." The traitor saying her daughter's name was the final straw. Hiloria growled as she felt rage like she had never encountered before rise within her. Ordinarily, she would have retreated from such a base emotion in fear and loathing. Now? She _embraced_ it.

"In the words of your oh so precious humans,..." Hiloria snarled. "' _Fuck you!_ '" The totally unprecedented profanity rocked him back, and then it was too late to stop her.

She threw herself up, all of the strength in her arms and legs _and_ all of her leverage focused on the two things that held her wrists to the chains. As she suspected, the metal did not break. Her _wrists_ did. Pain flared in both and she ignored it. The shattered remnants of her hands slid right through the binders, and she was in motion. The searing agony propelled her to greater speed. Kriso moved to block the door, but she wasn't planning escape! She slammed into him, her rage carrying her through his defenses and into him before he could set himself. Her charge bowled him over but she remained on her feet as he went down. She kicked him as hard as she could with first one and then the other leg. He blocked her attacks as best he could and the armor would blunt them, but they still did damage. She did not stop kicking even as the cell door slammed open and Pratal ran in, a rifle in hand. She ignored him, continuing to kick.

"Hiloria, stop!" Pratal commanded sternly.

Hiloria spat more profanity that she _never_ would have contemplated before at him, this time in _their_ language. She kicked Kriso again, this time in the head.

"Sister, stop!" Pratal commanded. "He is not the one you want to kick."

"You are right." Hiloria spun on her heels and her brother's eyes were amazed as she lashed out in perfect form and _kicked the rifle right out of his hands._ It flew to clatter into a corner. She ignored it. Such had always been the _least_ of his weapons. "I kept up my hand to hand training. _In memory of you!_ " She screamed the last.

He did not attack, he retreated. "You do not want to fight me, sister."

"You are _not_ my brother." Hiloria held her ruined hands up in front of her as a pitiful guard. "I do not know you."

"Sister, no." Pratal held up empty hands. "Stand down. You are free. We can help you. Show you a new way."

"Yeah." Hiloria said in a deceptively mild voice. "The way of _damnation_." A heavy weight landed on her from behind, but somehow, she kept her balance and slammed both elbows back in an instant counter far below the belt. Kriso gave an 'Oof' as he fell away from her. Even in armor, that had to hurt. Hiloria shook her head as she focused on the greater threat, Pratal. She kept her voice conversational. "If you are going to strike from ambush, traitor, strike to kill. It works a lot better."

"You cannot escape, Sister." Pratal said warily as she started to circle him. She saw Kriso moving as well, and she kept circling, denying him another attempt at her back. If they grappled and held her, this fight was over. "You are confused. Let us help you."

"I don't _care!_ You are not my brother! I neither _need_ nor _want_ your 'help'." Hiloria snarled, readying herself to fight and probably die. Suddenly, she heard _singing_. She dared a glance and yes, Milodi was singing softly, her eyes closed. No one else reacted. But the music? Hiloria _knew_ it! But from _where?_

'The snow glows white on the mountain tonight  
Not a footprint to be seen.  
A kingdom of isolation,  
and it looks like I'm the Queen  
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside  
Couldn't keep it in;  
Heaven knows I've tried'

The music faded for a moment, and whatever spell had been cast faded. The others moved to flank Hiloria as she stared from them to Milodi.

"I… Milodi..." Hiloria slumped a little. "You will kill her."

"Probably." Pratal said with a shrug. "She is not as strong as you."

" _Strong?_ " Hiloria actually laughed at the being who had once been her brother as she heard the music again, louder this time. "You really _are_ focused on _only_ what you know, aren't you?"

She knelt down beside Milodi and her voice joined her sister's. Their voices merged and _more_ than their voices!

'Don't let them in,  
don't let them see  
Be the good girl you always have to be  
Conceal, don't feel,  
don't let them know  
Well now they know!'

She was only half surprised again when _yellow_ energy swirled around both of them. She was smiling as she sang with her sister. The power flared though her, into her, binding her _to_ her sister. Not that she needed that as she hugged Milodi tight. Pratal, Kriso and Betos were shouting. She ignored them all as she focused on the music. Her eyes closed of their own accord as she threw her head back and belted out the tune that she knew _somehow_ in perfect harmony with her sister.

'Let it _go_ , let it _go_  
Can't hold it back anymore'

'Let it go, let it _go_  
Turn _away_ and _slam the door!'_

Then they were elsewhere. Other voices joined into the tune seamlessly. She heard Sofia's and many other voices that Hiloria did not know.

'I don't care  
what they're going to say  
Let the storm rage on.  
The cold never bothered me anyway '

The words were both familiar and not. They held her up and carried her with them as she felt soothing yellow energy surround her from all sides. It couldn't last. Nothing that good ever did, and she was crying as she came to the end of the tune.

'Let it go, let it go  
And I'll rise like the break of dawn  
Let it go, let it go  
That perfect girl is gone!'

'Here I stand  
In the light of day  
Let the storm rage on,  
The cold never bothered me anyway!'

Hiloria was exhausted as the music and the energy it had provided faded, leaving her feeling bereft. She was smiling as she opened her eyes to see a throng of people surrounding her, most with wide eyes and wide smiles. Sofia was crying, her face proud. The rock ceiling overhead was not any rock she knew of. Stood to reason, she likely was not on Earth now.

"I should have known where you would go." Hiloria tried to rise, and couldn't. Sofia was at her side in an instant, her face turning ashen as she stared at Hiloria's hands. "I am all right, Sofia. I am all right."

"They hurt you." Sofia said weakly as she carefully helped Hiloria stand. "They _all_ did."

"Yeah, well..." Hiloria sighed as she stared at her ruined hands. " _These_ I did to myself. Milodi..." She turned to where Milodi was rising with the help of several others. Her chains had vanished, either not traveling with her or removed already. "I had no idea."

"I never wanted to lie to anyone." Milodi said weakly. She gave a squeak as Hiloria staggered to her and threw her arms around her. "Sister, I..."

"You are _everything_ I wish I was." Hiloria said sadly as she hugged her sister. "Compassionate, cheerful, kind. All the things I am not anymore. Not to mention such a beautiful voice, better than mine ever _was_. You are so much better than me."

"You are _wrong_ , Hiloria." Milodi hugged her back carefully. "The moment I first saw you, I saw a good woman. Not a monster, no matter what you may think of yourself sometimes. Just seeing you with Sofia was more than enough evidence for everyone else."

"Everyone." Hiloria said as she looked around the room. All of the people in the room were smiling and she felt a weight leave her shoulders. They were mostly humans, but that didn't bother her for some reason. "I... um… Hi."

"Hi. That was a _hell_ of an entrance." An older dark haired human with a long green rifle slung across her back stepped up and shook her head. "You made a right mess of your hands."

"Yeah, I was angry." Hiloria said with a wince. "I am going to _hurt_ when the adrenaline wears off."

"Yes, you _are_." The woman took hold of one arm, Milodi the other. Sofia stood nearby, all but wringing her hands in anxiety. "Let's get you to the doc before you collapse."

"That will not be long." Hiloria agreed as they started off, the crowd parting for them silently. "How much do you know?"

"I only know what you told me." Milodi said sadly. "I was… Well..." She grimaced but Hiloria shook her head.

"You were an agent of the Lady. It is _not_ your fault." Hiloria was weaving now, and the others guided her as Sofia walked nearby, all but wringing her hands. "From what I understand, you are probably better suited for her anyway. The Elders' war is horrible. You are not the kind to deal well with that."

"I thought I could make a difference." Milodi said sadly.

"You did. Never doubt that." Hiloria reassured her and her sister smiled at her. Hiloria looked at the woman with the rifle, who nodded.

"I have been briefed." The other said with a small frown. "I am Weaver." Hiloria stared at her blankly for a moment and then hissed as memory flooded in.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but… Advent secure files say you were in the _original_ X-Com back in the 1960s." Hiloria said slowly. Weaver nodded. "Oh."

This woman was well over a hundred years old. She didn't look it.

"Which gives me a fairly unique viewpoint on temporal problems." Weaver agreed. Hiloria had to chuckle at the dry humor in those words.

"I bet it does." Hiloria gasped as her hands started to hurt. "And now...the adrenaline has worn off. I think." She slumped, all of her energy spent. Her head was spinning.

"Not far." Weaver took more of Hiloria's weight as Sofia ran ahead. "She is a good kid, no matter her real age."

"Tell me you are not going to hurt her." Hiloria begged as darkness crowded her vision. It was suddenly forced back by yellow energy. Her vision cleared as a human in surgical scrubs stepped into view, Sofia at his side. He nodded to her.

"We won't." Doctor Cooper took took hold of Hiloria's forearms in gentle grips and guided her into what looked suspiciously like an Advent hospital room. Weaver and Milodi held her shoulders as she stumbled. "Her _or_ you. You are a mess, but we can manage."

"They _have_ to be tracking me." Hiloria said weakly. "They want Sofia. Now they _all_ do. I… I trusted..." She was crying as hands eased her up onto a bed and laid her out straight. Someone was scanning her as she wept. "The Elders want her dead. I can only imagine what X-Com or others want her for. None of it will be good."

"I know." A soft, gentle voice sounded from nearby but Hiloria was too weak to look. _It is all right, my dear. You can let go now. We have you._ The pain her hands faded. All of her pains faded. She was falling asleep, but she couldn't! She fought whatever was putting her under. She had to protect Sofia! _Silly girl. You need to rest_ _and you do not want to be awake for what we have to do_ _._

 _I can't._ Hiloria pleaded. _She is my daughter!_

 _Well,_ _you are m_ _y responsibility_ _now._ The voice of the Ethereal was so gentle, so kind. Hiloria was crying as she felt things being done to her. Whatever she was wearing was coming off. She couldn't focus. _So is she._ _We will keep her safe._ _She is a marvel, Hiloria Mox. So are you. Your hate is strong, but your love is stronger._

 _I don't know what to do!_ Hiloria begged as she was wept up into the incredibly powerful mind of the leader of this odd group.

 _Right now? Rest. Heal. Tomorrow can take care of tomorrow._ The voice of the Ethereal was super soft as Hiloria was eased into sleep patterns. _We will talk tomorrow._ She paused and chuckled a little sourly. _Or whenever you actually wake up. That might be more than one night. You need it._

 _Can you help her, Lady?_ Hiloria begged. _Help us?_

 _I don't know._ The Ethereal who was not an Elder said sadly. _I am no goddess. But you knew that about your Elders all along, didn't you?_

 _Everything was easier_ _while_ _the chip was in_ _and active_ _._ Hiloria said softly, on the edge of sleep. _All my life, I knew what to do._ _Now? I am lost._

 _No._ The Lady was still so kind and gentle even as her power eased Hiloria into slumber with soft yellow energy that would not be denied.

 _You are_ **found** _._

* * *

 **Quote is from ' Let It Go'. One of the most memorable tunes in Disney's 'Frozen'. Not my work. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Relief**

Hiloria didn't hurt when she woke. That was vast improvement over many times she had woken recently. She opened her eyes and stared around. The room might have been lifted in its entirety from any Advent hospital. She knew much of the equipment and what she didn't know, she could guess at. She shook her head slowly. That had to be intentional.

"Good morning." A voice pulled Hiloria's eyes to the side where a young… Um, no. She _wasn't_ human. Her head was bulged like a Sectoid's and her eyes were pure black. The rest of her looked human but Hiloria wasn't bothered. She wore a nurse's uniform that was almost Advent in style, but not quite. The emblem was not Advent's. It was a yellow human heart symbol. "I am Valere. We did not get a chance to meet last night."

"I was a little out of it." Hiloria raised a hand and stiffened as she saw it encased in a white plastic cast that ran from her elbow almost all the way to her fingertips. "Um… What?" She looked at her other hand and it too was encased.

"The doctor put you back together, but you need to take time to heal. We sped up your healing as much as we dared, but it wasn't enough to heal it all. There are limits to how much healing a body can take before it starts to fail all on its own from overexposure to energy. Even psionic energy." Valere said with a nod. Hiloria nodded in agreement, she knew that. "He does not want you using your hands much for the next few days until we are sure there is no impairment. You have limited function in those casts and we will let you do things yourself, but please, you _really_ messed them up in addition to all your other hurts."

"I did not have much of a choice." Hiloria said weakly. "No alternatives worth mentioning anyway. They were going to kill Milodi."

"Well, she is alive, _you_ are alive and we _finally_ got Sofia to sleep about three hours ago." Valere shook her head, but she was smiling. "A bit stubborn, your daughter."

"She has already gone through several versions of hell and I fear what the future holds for her." Hiloria said as she examined the rest of herself that she could see and feel with careful fingers. The back of her head was bandaged and she stared at Valere who nodded. "The chip?"

"We took out the remnants. A tracker was attached to it. One that was not fried when you did whatever you did." Valere confirmed. "We have disabled several other trackers, both psionic and technological."

"They really did not want me getting away. _Any_ of them." Hiloria wilted a little. "I..."

"Hey." Valere moved to take Hiloria's left hand in both of her own. Her touch was gentle, soothing. "You are alive. Where there is life, there is hope."

"What am I to do now?" Why was Hiloria suddenly crying? "I served the Elders. I still do. I am loyal. I… What have they done? How can I still have faith in beings who can order my daughter slain out of hand? But I do."

"It is not your fault." Valere said in a stern voice. "How could you have possibly known?"

"That doesn't change what I have done." Hiloria said weakly. "I served them loyally. I want to serve them still. And I cannot. Now I what do I do?."

"For now, rest and heal." Valere said quietly. "What has happened doesn't change who you are and what you have done. You cannot change the past." Hiloria fought to keep from reacting but she wasn't sure she fooled the black eyed woman. "You _can_ change what you do from now on. Milodi speaks very highly of you."

"Milodi is _not_ the most objective person in the universe." Hiloria said with a small smile that Valere shared.

"No, she is not." Valere shook her head. "But she is a good soul and from what I have seen? A good friend."

"She is very good." Hiloria sighed deeply. "None of us had any idea she worked for your Lady."

"She doesn't." Valere said with a shake of her head. Hiloria stared at her and Valere shook her head. "I will let the Lady explain that. It is complicated." Hiloria went still and Valere nodded. "Yes. It has to do with what you swore not to talk about. We know. We felt it when you were pulled."

"You..." Hiloria gasped and then she was crying again. "I cannot do this!" I cannot! I am not… I am just a tool of the Elders, not some kind of storybook hero!"

"You are more than that." Valere said quietly as she gave the hand she still held a squeeze. She laid her other hand on Hiloria's shoulder. "I know it makes you uncomfortable but the facts do not lie. You have done heroic things, both for your Elders and for your daughter." She shuddered. "Then what you did for _Milodi_..." Hiloria looked away, but Valere was not to be denied. "You tried to _kill yourself_ to keep from killing her! You seared the inside of your own _brain_ to keep from harming her." Hiloria slumped in the bed and would not meet Valere's gaze. "Tell me that is not heroic!"

"She is my friend." Hiloria said weakly.

"And you were willing to _die_ for her." Valere said softly. Hiloria looked away but Valere reached up and took hold of her chin, pulling it back to look at her. "No. What you did surprised the hell out of all of us. We were watching."

"They said I freed her once I stabbed myself." Hiloria said weakly. "I did not." Valere shook her head. "You?"

"The Lady was a bit upset. Milodi is her friend. She takes it maybe a little too personally when people hurt her friends." Hiloria stared at her. Valere made a face. "It is not always comfortable being around her, especially when she is angry. She does mean well, and in this? She _did_ save you and Milodi, so that is a win."

"She exposed herself to me." Hiloria said suddenly, fear blossoming. "I serve the Elders! She cannot..." She broke off as Valere gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"You do not know where you are." Valere said quietly. Hiloria froze and then slowly nodded, relaxing. "We did not ever intend _this_ , but we knew that sooner or later, we would have some visitors who served the Elders. We didn't want them to know how to get back."

"Good." Hiloria sighed deeply. "Without the chip or an amp, my powers are limited. Which is… I..." She broke off, pain flaring that wasn't physical. "They ordered their Chosen to _kill_ Sofia." She was crying again and Valere just stood, holding her hand.

"Yes." Valere said in a very quiet voice. "Milodi was there when the Warlock arrived and demanded Sofia. Your Sister Amadri queried the Elders and he knocked her unconscious." Hiloria felt fear blossom anew, but Valere shook her head. "She lives. Milodi pulled her to safety. From what we have gathered, no one was actually hurt when all three of the Chosen encountered each other there shortly after."

"That does not make any sense. The Chosen do not _do_ subtlety and none of my colleagues had a chance against any of them!" Hiloria stiffened. "A trap?"

"We think so." Valere looked pensive for a moment. "They couldn't track Sofia, but they _could_ track _you_." Hiloria felt horror dawn, but Valere shook her head. "Past tense. Once you arrived, all of the trackers were blocked and quickly disabled."

"I cannot stay here." Hiloria said weakly. "I put you all in danger."

"The Elders have said they do not wish to push the Lady, which is probably wise of them." Valere smiled, but it was grim. "She has no patience for some things and a lot of very odd resources."

"I will say." Hiloria swallowed hard, remembering the frenzied reports that had flown through the Elders' network after a _nuclear detonation_ had wiped out an entire Advent strike force and coincidentally obliterated what had been the Lady's earthbound hideaway once she and her followers had fled discovery. Then there had been the large number of Advent flying craft shot out of the sky by unseen assailants to clear her escape. She was _not_ to be taken lightly by _anyone_. Even the Chosen would step carefully around her if they had any sense at _all_. "I… Sofia. How is Sofia?" She worked hard not to beg and Valere smiled at her.

"She is stressed, but physically, she is fine. It was a hell of a shock when she appeared in our midst." Valere admitted. "She begged the Lady for help as soon as she was coherent. Our scans..." She looked sick and Hiloria nodded. "Who did that to her? She said it was evil humans."

"It was." Hiloria agreed, her ire rising. "One of them is dead. The other? I don't know, but he will not enjoy whatever life he has left. Did she swear to your Lady?" That might complicate things or simplify them.

"No." Valere admitted. "She wanted to, but the Lady said you were still alive, and you were her guardian. You took responsibility for her. Sofia is not human."

"I know." Hiloria looked down at herself. "She came into being from me, somehow. She was energy. Now she is flesh. The..." She swallowed again. "The unborn?"

"We don't know." Valere said quietly. "She is physical enough to be hurt, to be impregnated. We just don't know how she will react or if she will." She growled and Hiloria squeezed her hand.

"I need to talk to your Lady." Hiloria slumped. "I do not want to. I fear what is coming. I am a servant of the Elders and I fear for them. For all of us."

"You have cause." A familiar voice sounded and Hiloria tried to sit up as the door opened and a female human form walked in. Her face was covered by a veil, but Hiloria knew her voice. The Lady. "Valere, see if the kitchen has any soup. Hiloria will probably appreciate something soft and easy to digest. If not? Please ask them to make some. We need to talk, she and I. It may take a while."

Hiloria smiled as the girl bowed deeply and vanished out the door. The Lady muttered something that sounded rude to Hiloria's ears before she move to Hiloria's bedside and sat. She nodded as Hiloria looked at her veil.

"This body was once human. She died and Cooper brought her body back to life." The Lady said quietly. Hiloria felt awe flare and the Lady shook her head. "He loved her dearly and her face still graces this form even with everything that made her who she was gone. We are working to change the face, but the only one of us with the true skill to do it would be Cooper and we cannot ask him to do that. For now? I cover the face when I wear this form."

"None of us knew how to take the way he acted." Hiloria said softly. "He was always so nice to everyone." The Lady nodded. "What can I do?" She begged in a tiny voice. "I don't know what to do!"

"Sofia is a conundrum." The Lady was quiet, reflective. "I saw what you did when Milodi pulled you into her future." Hiloria froze and the Lady held up a hand. "No. Do not speak of it. You swore. I will not have you break your word. I scanned you as soon as you finished talking to the Elders. You were distracted. I felt oddities as soon as I projected there, but _you_ were not there. Then you _were_. Milodi had contacted me, she was confused. She was not an agent, per say. More an interested party who was looking for ways to help. She contacted me but I put her off. I was wary. I mean, she is a Priest of the Elders, not to be trusted. No offense." Hiloria waved that away and the Lady continued. "Then she contacted me again. She was was terrified for both you and Sofia after she saw what you showed the interrogator. She begged my help."

Hiloria nodded. She had know there would be problems. In her worst nightmares, she never would have imagined the Elders would simply demand Sofia's _death_. She understood the fear. At less than an hour old, Sofia had _obliterated_ a powerful Templar. What she could do with more experience was terrifying in its possible scope. What the Elders didn't know, what _no one_ but the Lady apparently knew… was that Sofia was only the catalyst and aiming focus for more a _much_ powerful weapon.

"She does not want to hurt anyone." Hiloria said quietly. "That is our only hope to avert this."

"That and you." The Lady nodded. "She reveres you as you revere the Elders." Hiloria shook her head, but the Lady took her right hand in a gentle grip. "For the exact same reason. They created you. _You_ created _her_."

"I don't know if I did." Hiloria felt a bit faint. "In what we saw in Sofia's memory, the Templars claimed credit for it, but they could have been lying."

"This has hurt you very badly." The Lady was so very sad. "You have taken hurts to your body, your mind, and your spirit. You need rest and time to recover now more than anything. We will give you that. You and Sofia are safe here for as long as you wish to stay."

"Thank you." Hiloria bowed her head. "I cannot stay forever."

"We would welcome both you and Sofia." The Lady sighed. "But you do still wish to serve the Elders."

"Someone has to moderate the bad that is done." Hiloria bowed her head. "The war is consuming everyone, everything. I do not like much of what I do, but it is needed. If not for those like Milodi and Sister Amadri, Advent will turn totally dark. It is bad enough at times even when… when family is not caught in the middle." She gave a tiny sob and the Lady did not react as Hiloria clenched others hand as best she could.

"Milodi was shocked when Kriso took her. I would have acted then, but he promised not to harm her. A lie, but at the time, she trusted him. He drugged her and took her to the hybrids who fled Advent." The Lady said quietly. "She wasn't awake when you freed yourself from your chains but I was listening. Your brother?"

"He was." Hiloria sighed deeply. "Now? I don't know. He was loyal. He was brave. He and I… We were in the same batch. We all took the name 'Mox' as a sign of our history. I thought I was the only survivor, but if he… I..." She broke off as her throat tightened.

"Even the Elders cannot control everything." The Lady said quietly. "Do you still think them gods?"

"I… I don't know." Hiloria admitted. "With the chip in, I did. I could easily touch their minds and they were so much more than myself. But now? I don't know. They made me and my kind. They have done so much, both good _and_ bad. I know they are not immortal, but..." She slumped back in the bed, face falling. "I don't know."

"They would kill you for that doubt." The Lady warned. Hiloria nodded.

"I know." Hiloria forced herself to relax. "But gods do not have to be benevolent. What I have read in human mythology is full of angry deities."

"Well, at least you do not worship _me_." The Lady said flatly. Hiloria stared at her and the flesh clad Ethereal chuckled. There was little mirth in it. "All of these people are looking to me for guidance and I work hard to keep them from open worship. In every history I have studied, mortals portraying themselves as gods never ends well, Hiloria Mox. Ever. And despite everything, Ethereals _are_ mortal."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Hiloria allowed. "But this is what I am. What I do. Take that purpose away from me and what am I?"

"Sofia's mother." The Lady replied. Hiloria slowly nodded to acknowledge the point. "Valere will be in with your meal shortly. You will be able to eat on your own. Once you have eaten, you should be strong enough to walk around if you wish although you really need rest now more than anything. We will block some areas from you for security reasons, but feel free to talk to anyone you wish."

"I have hated humans ever since my first mission." Hiloria said softly. "Why do I not feel hate now? Is that your doing?"

"Some." The Lady allowed. "We are a small community by most standards. We have our share of forceful personalities and no space for them to be too forceful if you get my meaning." Hiloria nodded. The Lady paused and then slowly shook her head. "Actually, would you like to talk to our spiritual guide? He is not always nice, but he is wise. He knows what he doesn't know."

"Then he is wiser than most, no matter the species." Hiloria frowned but then nodded. "Is he human?"

"He is." The Lady was looking at her but Hiloria just smiled.

"Then this is a good way to find out if I can handle dealing with humans, is it not?" Hiloria grinned as the Lady snickered.

"If you can handle Imam Robinson, you can handle anyone." The Lady was chuckling as she rose. "He doesn't like Advent _or_ the Elders."

"Right now? I find it hard to blame him." Hiloria sighed. The Lady patted her hand and then moved to leave. She paused as Hiloria cleared her throat.

"Yes?"

"You saw what I did. That horrible future." Hiloria said in a very quiet voice.

"Yes." The Lady was just as quiet.

"I want to stop it." Hiloria felt as if she were falling to pieces. She was about to disobey her gods, the beings she had spent her whole life obeying.

"You are in no shape for long winded mathematical, philosophical _or_ temporal discussions at the moment." The Lady had a smile in her voice and Hiloria had to smile at that. "Eat and rest. Talk with the Imam if you wish. I am looking into it carefully."

"We do not know what Shüller did. Is going to do. We need to find Greta." Hiloria said after a moment. "The future me sent her back with Sofia, but there was no sign of her anywhere near where Sofia was found."

"You never got her full name. Greta the Templar." The Lady mused. Hiloria shook her head. She sighed. "I will do what I can. Your meal is here."

She moved to the side and Valere carried a tray that held a steaming bowl. She set on the bed in front of Hiloria. Hiloria stared as legs extruded from the tray to steady it on her lap.

"That is not Advent tech." Hiloria mused as Valere produced a spoon that she set beside the bowl. "You have lots of tricks you have not told anyone." Valere grinned and Hiloria shook her head. "Fine, be mysterious." When she looked up, the Lady had vanished.

"There are many who would like to meet you." Valere sat beside her bed, eyeing her with anticipation as Hiloria took the spoon in careful fingers. "But the doc left strict instructions. We are to let you rest for a day before we mob you. We know better than to get on his bad side."

Hiloria paused with the spoon halfway to the bowl. "Doctor Cooper has a _bad side_?"

"Oh yes. You should see him before he has had his coffee in the morning." Valere shuddered dramatically.

Hiloria could not resist the laugh that bubbled up out of her and her worry eased even further. Then she focused on eating.


	11. Chapter 11

**Opposing**

Hiloria had eaten and slept a bit. Now she was awake and while she was still weak, she was capable. Someone had left a book reader along with a set of white robes on a counter in her room while she slept. She pulled the robes on and had to smile. Whoever had made them had made Advent Priest's robes minus the insignia and they fit her perfectly. She sat and looked at the reader for a moment, but her mind as whirling with so many different thing. She could not focus. She wasn't going to be able to just sit and read.

"Ma'am?" A calm voice sounded and Hiloria turned her head to see a human standing in the door. He wore a black robe and had a long, dark beard. His face was stern, but she saw no hostility in his posture, only wariness. She nodded to him.

"Imam Robinson?" She queried. He nodded. "I am pleased to meet you."

He stared at her. Whatever he had been expecting from her, apparently courtesy was not on the list. He recovered quickly and made a gesture with his hands that she vaguely recognized as religious.

"Peace be with you." The human said quietly as he stepped in. "The Lady said you wished to speak with me?" He inquired. She nodded. "How may I be of assistance?"

"I do not know." Hiloria admitted. "Most of my existence, I have hated your kind for something that I was forced to do." Robinson eyed her and she shook her head. "When I was first sent into the field, I was to spread the word of the Elders. To convert with words and deeds rather than weapons." His face hardened and she raised a hand. "I do not know how you feel, I am not you. Please? Hear me out?" He nodded slowly. "I watched two children kill themselves just out of my reach. Three others were sorely hurt by their 'caregivers' when said caregivers attacked them. Not me. _Them_." He did not react and she continued. "Whatever evil I have done, whatever evil the Elders have done, _th_ _ose children_ were innocent."

"Innocence is the second casualty in war." Robinson said quietly. "Truth is the first." Hiloria nodded.

"War is the most horrible thing I have ever encountered. The worst thing I have studied in any of the texts I have perused." Hiloria said with a sigh. "I can make no excuses for my mistakes. All I can do is try to do better." He just looked at her and she sighed. "Please? I need to talk to someone. I… I am confused. I have my faith, but I am conflicted."

" _You_...are asking _me_ … to help you with a crisis of faith?" Imam Robinson sounded incredulous. Hiloria nodded, bowing her head. "Why not the Lady?"

"Because she does not believe." Hiloria said quietly. "You do."

"I do not believe what you do and my faith has been sorely tested many times in the dark days since your Elders came." The human said slowly. "I make no claim to holiness or wisdom. I am a scholar, no more."

"That is all I ever wanted to be." Hiloria admitted. "I am much more at home in a lab or a library than hurting people." She took a deep breath before continuing. "The Elders sent me where they willed to do what they willed. I never questioned. Now? I have no _choice_ but to question and that terrifies me."

"There are always choices." Imam Robinson stepped fully into the room and took a seat near the door. "There are always alternatives. We may not see them or like them, but they are always there."

"If it were just me, it would not be a problem." Hiloria admitted. "My life in the grand scheme of things is meaningless." Imam Robinson jerked at that, but she continued. "Live or die, what would it change? I am one being on a world at war."

"Mohammad was one being." The human said quietly. Hiloria stared at him and he shook his head. "It is a very long story but the gist is that he was cast out of his home for preaching against injustice."

"Mohammad?" Hiloria asked, thinking hard. "He wrote the Koran." Imam Robinson inclined his head to her. "And…" She mused, trying to dredge up what she remembered. "Oh, I do not remember any more about that. He founded Islam. _That_ I remember."

"That is fairly memorable." Robinson chuckled. "The Koran is not an easy book to read. By modern standards, its language is difficult to decipher and it flatly contradicts itself a few times." Hiloria stared at him and he smiled at her. "Humans are nothing if not contrary and Mohammad _was_ human. He made mistakes, no matter what some of the more orthodox of my time might have insisted."

"'Orthodox'?" Hiloria had never heard the word used like that. "You mean 'devout'?"

"Eh, no." Robinson sat back in his chair and shook his head. "This might be a long day." For her part, Hiloria was smiling.

"I do not have any pressing plans." Hiloria held up empty hands. "You?"

"You know?" Robinson was smiling now too. "Now that you mention it? No. I don't."

"Then let us match wits, wiles and wisdom." Hiloria sat back as well and then spoke from her heart. "I do not understand how you can believe in something that you cannot sense. I did not always _agree_ with what the Elders told me to do, but I always knew they were there."

"But if they are _there_...Then they are mortal." Robinson argued. "How can they be gods?"

Both had matching smiles on their faces as they prepared to do battle in their way.

With _words_.

* * *

FIVE hours later

Hiloria was tired, but she and the Imam were still going at it. Various people had come and gone. Sofia had come in and stayed. She sat, listening with rapt attention as Hiloria and Imam Robinson debated various things.

"Okay. I _did_ concede the point that evil for its own sake is always wrong." Hiloria said after a moment's thought on the Imam's latest point. "But 'good' and 'evil' are always matters of perspective. What is 'good' for me will likely not be 'good' for you. And if we are trying to survive? What then?"

"That is true." Robinson agreed. "It is a sad fact, but survival will almost always beat out morals. If you do something horrible that is the only way to survive, is that evil?" He made a face. "I know of three episodes in the twentieth century where humans were forced to eat their own dead by horrible circumstances to survive. Was that evil?"

"Oh." Hiloria sank back on her bed, her face thoughtful. "Part of me says 'yes'. Part of me says 'no'. I consider it _wrong_ no matter what. That is gross." She made a face as Sofia gagged and the Imam nodded. She looked at Sofia and smiled. "You have been sitting here for quite some time. Aren't you tired of listening to us argue?"

"This is fascinating." Sofia smiled wide at both of them. Hiloria and the Imam smiled back at her. "I am a little hungry." She paused and mock glared at the Imam. "I _was_ a little hungry. Thank you for that grossness."

"You are welcome." The cleric said with aplomb. Hiloria had to chuckle at Sofia's expression.

"That is not what is bothering you, Mom." Sofia said into the silence that fell. "Is it?" Hiloria would not meet her daughter's eyes and Sofia sighed. "Mom, it is okay. I know. I accept it."

"I cannot." Hiloria said weakly. "Sofia… I cannot."

"What am I missing?" Robinson asked, his eyes intent.

"I came into being because something horrible was done to my mom." Sofia said quietly as Hiloria shuddered. "You know? The Lady told you?" The Imam nodded.

"We help her as we can. None of us have her power or skill, but we can help her sometimes." The cleric said softly. "We saw what Milodi saw when you were interrogated."

"Then you know that I was formed from my mom in the future and she sent me back before whatever awfulness happened." Sofia reached out to touch her mother on the arm. Hiloria would still not meet her eyes. "Mom, it is okay."

"No, it is not!" Hiloria said sadly. "I want to be selfish. I want to keep you."

"You can't." Sofia said softly. "And you know it."

"Wait." The human cleric stiffened. "If that was the _future_ and she _stops_ it from _happening_..." His face turned horrified as Sofia nodded. " _No!_ "

"Yes. I will cease to exist. You spent the last several hours debating good and evil." Sofia said quietly as she sat on the bed beside Hiloria who still would not look at her. "You sat there and talked, putting forth both the good and bad of both your faiths. I know the difference between good and evil. I know what has to be done. That Templar must be stopped. You know that fanatics of all faiths have done horrors throughout human existence. The Templars are no different."

"The original 'Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon', or 'Knights Templar' as they were more commonly known, were created as a military order in world filled with war. They were meant to be a good thing. They were meant to protect pilgrims on the way to holy sites. They became both more and less as humans always have and always will. Power corrupts." Imam Robinson was working hard to remain neutral. "What was done before and after their formation left scars across the world."

"The Crusades." Hiloria said quietly. Imam Robinson nodded. "I studied that. Some."

"Yes." The Imam looked at the ceiling and his face was sad. "We can argue until the stars go cold and likely never reach an agreement on who was right and who was wrong there. I don't think _anyone_ was right _or_ good no matter what they _said_. They _all_ claimed to be fighting for 'God' and all I can think is that Allah wept at the sheer mass of folly that resulted. At all the blood that has been spilled through the centuries in his name."

"Yes. If your god does exist, he is certainly crying." Hiloria was just as sad. When she looked at Sofia, her eyes were glistening. "I cannot do this, Sofia. I cannot. I cannot simply let you go."

"Mom, you are still hurt and sick." Sofia said softly. "You need to take time to heal. We can handle things until you have." Imam Robinson nodded. Hiloria looked at her and Sofia stiffened. "Mom..."

"I will not let you go." Hiloria reached out for Sofia who let her cling. "I will find a way."

"Mom, you are strong." Sofia said sadly. "But no one has that kind of power. What will be, will be. I treasure what I have now."

"I might not even _remember_ you!" Hiloria pleaded.

"Would it _matter_?" Sofia asked, her face stern. "Mom, we are talking about the extinction of all of the life on Earth. We cannot stand by and let that happen. We _cannot_. I know you. There is no way you can do such a thing. You simply cannot stand by and _let_ such a horror happen."

" _BUT I WANT TO!_ " Hiloria screamed as she hugged Sofia tight enough that the girl gasped. "It is wrong and I know it, but I _want_ it. I want it _so badly_. If Imam Robinson's God appeared in a fiery bush or the _Elders_ teleported in right here and now and _either or both_ _o_ _f them_ told me they could stop it, save you _any way at all_ , I would take it and _damn the cost!_ "

"I know." Sofia held her mom as Hiloria cried. "I love you too, Mom. I do not want to leave. But you know I have to."

"Not now." Imam Robinson rose from his seat. He stepped to where Hiloria was hugging Sofia and laid a hand on Hiloria's arm. It was a gentle, comforting touch."For what it is worth, will you take my blessing, Priest of the Elders?"

"Gladly." Hiloria bowed her head. "Right now? I will take all the help I can _get!_ "

He smiled a bit sadly as he murmured an incantation in Arabic. He looked at Sofia and she nodded to him. He laid a hand on her brow and did the same.

"Treasure what you have while you have it." The Imam's voice was gentle now. "If there one thing I have learned in a war filled life, it is that life is fleeting. Things change, often in the blink of an eye. Love is a very powerful force, but there are _many_ powerful forces arrayed against you both now. Know that _I_ am not against you. If I may aid in any way, you have but to ask, Hiloria Mox, Priest of the Elders."

He smiled, bowed to them both and left the room.

"He… I…." Hiloria was crying hard as Sofia held her. "I _cannot_ be a Priest of the Elders now. I cannot. They will _kill_ you!"

"Or worse." Sofia gagged. "They might just dissect me." Hiloria slumped in Sofia's arms, her strength waning. "You need to sleep now, Mom."

"No." Hiloria tried to hold onto Sofia as her daughter eased her back down to the bed. "Sofia, no. Don't go."

"I will be here when you wake." Sofia promised as she kissed Hiloria's brow.

Hiloria felt herself falling and then she was flying. She heard music again! This time, it wasn't music she knew. But it was beautiful.

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,  
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?  
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines  
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.

She landed on her feet, hyperaware of her surroundings. She stood in a small clearing in a forest. As far as her eyes could see, there was nothing but trees. There was no sign of anything man or Elder made anywhere near her. She spun in a circle and then went totally still as something that wasn't native to Earth slid into her view. She felt fear blossom anew as the mass of nanomachines took on a form. But.. the form wasn't the menacing form of an Advent Spectre! It looked like Hiloria! She eyed it and it eyed her, neither moving. Then it vanished.

"You would stand there all day, wouldn't you?" The dry voice preceded an older human woman into view. She had gray hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore some kind of odd garment that looked like animal skins and carried a staff of some kind that looked like it was tree branch. "Hello, Hiloria Mox. It has been a long time."

Hiloria stared at the woman, confused. She didn't know the woman, did she? She did not move, did not speak. A glance down at herself showed she was clad as she had been in the bed, and her arms still bore the casts. Was this real? A dream? She didn't know.

The Spectre hadn't been visibly armed and neither was the woman, but Hiloria felt danger all around her now as she glanced from side to side.

"Don't move." The old woman warned. "This mental plane is safe for you for the moment, but we don't have long." She shook her head. "Do you know me? You saw what happened, what will happen. Do you remember? That was really weird seeing two of you."

"Greta?" Hiloria stammered. The woman smiled at her, her face lighting up. "I…"

"Yes. That is my name. Greta Durand." The human sighed deeply and leaned on her staff. Her smile turned melancholy and her eyes were glistening. "I do not blame you for _anything_. You didn't have very long to save me and Sofia." She chuckled sourly. "Plus, you _were_ kind of dead at the time. You did the best you could, but no one to my knowledge has ever done such a thing before. You know what happened. Thank God. This is going to be bad enough as it is."

"I saw it in Sofia's memory. What happened to you?" Hiloria pleaded. "I am going to try to stop it."

"No!" The woman said sharply. "No! You mustn't! He will take you and it will happen! He knows, Hiloria. He knows what I know."

"What?" Hiloria froze as the clearing was suddenly surrounded by human forms, all of whom were radiating purple energy. She was stunned as Greta moved in front of her, tossing her staff away and standing up straight. The woman's age fell away as her hands came up, clad in crystal gauntlets. Had her age been an illusion? No, she was shaking as if in weakness. Or rage.

"No!" Greta pleaded. "You said I could convince her!"

"We do not have time." An even older looking woman who appeared much like Greta stood forward, her face serene. "Greta, stand aside. Despite her appearance, we will not be cruel. She has suffered enough. At our hands and others."

"Did you learn _nothing_ from what he did to me?" Greta demanded as her blades extruded from her wrists. She held them up in front of her, some kind of formal salute? "You cannot _break_ this with brute force!"

"You are going to kill me." Hiloria said weakly. The ring of humans nodded even as Greta growled what was obviously an obscenity in a language Hiloria did not know.

"That is the easiest way to keep that future from happening." The other woman said sadly. "For what it is worth, I am sorry for what you have suffered."

"I _cannot_ let you do this, Elder Durand." Greta snapped. "You do not know if that will stop it. For all you know, it will _cause_ it!"

"Durand. That is _your_ name… Greta, no." Hiloria said sadly. "Stop." She stepped away from Greta despite the woman's cry of protest. "He scanned your mind, didn't he?"

"Forcibly. I resisted. It made no difference. I went to them." Greta said weakly. "As soon as I materialized here and was sure that I was not going to cause a paradox, I went to them. I trusted them. I am a fool." She was still shaking.

"No." Hiloria laid a hand on the shuddering woman's shoulder." You are human. Just like my kind, you make mistakes." She looked around her and shook her head. " _This_ is a mistake. Maybe killing me will stop it, maybe it won't. If I fall here, the Elders will make another of me. You know it. He will find the proper DNA eventually either way."

She kept her voice calm and clear. She had no chance against all of these psionic humans, even if all were not Templars.

"He will kill everything!" Greta snapped. "I saw it! I saw it happen while I was in limbo!" She gagged in memory. "Everything. Everyone I loved! _Dead!_ "

"Limbo?" Hiloria frowned "Did I do that?"

"I don't know." Greta slumped a little. "Maybe. It took me quite a while to get out of the timestream and find my way to them. Not your fault no matter what." She snarled as she held up her hands again. "And of course, I trusted them. Went to them. As soon as I did, they gave me to _him!_ "

"They _what?_ " Hiloria stammered. "No. Greta..."

"They want his weapon." Greta said flatly. "Even if it will kill _everything on Earth_ , they still win and that is _all_ they care about." None of the others moved and Hiloria shook her head.

"That is madness." The hybrid said softly. "If everyone _dies_ , what do you _win?_ "

" _You_ will lose." A familiar voice heralded a familiar Templar appearing nearby. Maric Shüller was chuckling. "And that is all that matters. Dead or alive, you are coming with me."

"Not a _chance_!" Greta snapped as her blades flashed blue for a moment. "You have to go through _me_ first, asshole and _this_ time, none of them will hold me down while you _rape my mind!_ "

"He… _what_?" Hiloria gasped and then she shook her head. She took a deep breath and moved to flank Greta. "No. No! She does _not_ stand alone even if none of you will stand with her! For she _is_ a true Templar, a _defender_ , not a _monster_ like this one." She spat the last at Shüller.

"You call _me_ a monster. Hypocritical much? This is going to be fun." Shüller paused as the other woman who looked like Greta stepped forward swiftly. "Annette? What are you doing?"

Everyone stiffened as the other Templar touched Hiloria's wrists before she could recoil. The casts on the hybrid's wrists changed into something else. Golden gauntlets suddenly surrounded her arms from wrist to elbow. The woman fell to her knees as Hiloria grabbed her, but she was fading from this place.

"No!" Hiloria begged. "What have you done?"

"I have evened the playing field." The woman smiled as she heaved one final breath and vanished. _This is all in the mind._ _I will recover._ _Kick his_ **ass** _for what he did to you and_ **my** _daughter._ Then she was gone.

"Your..." Hiloria stared at where the human had been and then she looked at Greta who was obviously fighting for control. "As you will it, Annette Durand."

She focused her will and blades sprang to life from her wrists. _Golden_ psionic blades, so utterly like and _unlike_ any of the Templar blades she had seen. They vanished just as quickly, ready to her call.

"Well met, battle sister." Hiloria said formally as Greta snarled and focused on Shüller who suddenly looked a _lot_ less confident.

"You cannot win against all of us!" Shüller looked around, but none of the other humans moved. "Fools! Cowards! I will do this _myself_!"

He was in motion, but so were Greta _and_ Hiloria.


	12. Chapter 12

**Unlikely allies**

It was incredible. Hiloria had no words for the sheer exhilaration that flew through her as she dashed forward, power surging in her like never before as she moved to flank her foe. She expected to feel rage, hate, anger, _som_ _e_ _thing_. Instead, she felt a great calm descend on her as he spun to face Greta's charge, leaving him open on the side facing her. Hiloria did not hesitate. She lashed out before he realized she was close enough. She had never used these weapons, but they felt as if they were extensions of herself. So like and unlike her own mental powers.

The golden crystal blades -and how wrong was _that_?- slashed out from her aching wrists and energy followed them, guided both by her muscles _and_ her mind.

Somehow, the mad Templar managed to deflect Hiloria's attack, but then Greta was on him, her own blue blades tearing into him. He dodged one, then the other hit and Hiloria felt hope flare. Hope that turned to ash as Shüller laughed.

"Idiot girl." He spun in a complicated sequence and Greta screamed as he hit her. She recoiled, still standing, but she was hurt. "I know your every move, every corner of your mind. You cannot hurt me, but I _can_ hurt you."

Hiloria paused. He had violated the female Templar's mind. Greta wasn't faking the rage she felt as she battered again and again at him, only to have each blow blocked with ease. He was pushing her. She would make a mistake soon and be at his mercy.

"Greta, stop." Hiloria said quietly, but with command. Her mind worked fast and her power came to her command, if not as easily as before, then just as skilled. This plane was psionic, all energy. She could work with this. "He wants you to lose control. He thinks he can control you. He cannot. You are not his puppet. I am not his puppet. Fall back, recover your equilibrium!"

With that, she dashed forward and slashed, but not at Shüller. At the ground _beneath_ him! He laughed at her as she rolled away. He didn't bother to counter, just laughed. Greta's face was still contorted with rage, but she did fall back, her mind calming and her energy smoothing out.

"Nice shot, you pathetic Advent filth..." He paused as Hiloria smirked at him. "What?"

"Being called filth _by_ filth is always a bit funny." Hiloria said offhand. "Greta? Shield." Hiloria held her arms up crossed in front of her, Greta did the same. Power flared in front of them both as a massive explosion tossed Shüller into the air. Everyone was staring at Hiloria in shock. She shrugged. "This mental projection is based on a forest and it is very detailed. All I had to do was add some animal dung on the ground and concentrate it a little."

All eyes went to various places around the area where indeed, small piles of brown things lay. More than one of the watching humans snickered.

"Natural ammonia nitrate." Greta smiled as Shüller picked himself up with a growl. He was singed, but not apparently hurt otherwise. "Just add a little energy and 'boom'. _Nice_."

"The greatest weapon in existence is the educated mind. We cannot let him hold you, Greta." Hiloria said softly. The human nodded as she took up position beside Hiloria. "He knows you. He hurt you. I freed you from him for the moment, but he can take control again. Can you escape?"

"Not without you!" Greta snapped.

"He cannot hold me." Hiloria said with a shake of her head. "He _can_ hold _you_ and _you_ can hold me. Flee. I will find you."

"I have to do something first." Greta heaved a sigh as Shüller stalked forward, only to slam face first into a pillar of blue energy that appeared out of the ground. Hiloria raised her hands and cast Stasis before he recovered. That wouldn't _hold_ him, it _would_ slow him. Greta spun to glare at the surrounding humans. "I believed in your creed. I believed as my mother did that psionic power was the salvation of humanity. Now I know we were _both_ wrong."

"Greta..." A large man with a commanding bearing stepped forward, his eyes cold. "Do not do anything rash."

" _Rash_ , Geist?" Greta sounded sad. "Rash like holding me _down_ and letting a monster rip my _mind_ apart? It took my mother _three days_ to put me back together, you bastard!" She shook her head as the energy around Shüller rippled and eddied with his anger. " _You_ helped hold me down for him to torture."

"We needed to know what you did." The other replied, his own anger cold and hard.

"And that made it right." Greta snapped. She glared at the others. None would meet her eyes. "Screw you! _All_ of you! I don't know _any_ of you! I certainly will not _trust_ any of you ever again. I am so tempted to hurt all of you. You know I can. I cannot kill you, but I _can_ hurt you here!"

Hiloria stepped forward and laid hand on Greta's shoulder. The human woman was trembling in rage.

"They are not worth it, Greta." Hiloria said quietly. "They are not worth what the feedback would do to _you_. You are better than that, better than _them_."

"You act more human than we do, Hiloria Mox." Greta said sadly as she spun her heel to scrutinize Hiloria. Her eyes lingered on the gauntlets Hiloria wore. "Will you take my oath?"

"Greta!" Hiloria shook her head as all of the other Templars chorused in shock, anger and denial. "You are angry. You have cause. Go. Flee. I will find you." That was a promise.

"I look forward to that day when we can fight beside one another in the flesh, battle sister." The female Templar glared at the leader of the Templars. "As for you, Geist? When next we meet in the flesh, you son of a bitch, it _will_ be as enemies and only _one_ of us will walk away. If I find _Sh_ _ü_ _ller_ in the flesh, I will kill him using any methods I must, no matter the cost or the collateral damage. The _rest_ of you pathetic losers? I do not know you. Cross me and _perish_." Greta said with a growl as she raised her right hand to the sky. A bolt of purple lighting hit where she was and when the flash-blindness faded, she was gone.

"And here I thought only _Advent_ could screw up so massively." Hiloria said into the sudden silence that greeted Greta's departure. "Helping him violate her mind was a bad idea. I barely know her and I know not to make her angry."

The stasis bubble around Shüller faded and he jerked upright, staring around wildly. The rest of the Templars were vanishing in ones and twos as he locked eyes with Hiloria and growled.

"Really?" Hiloria asked in a mild tone. "You don't need to prove to me how barbaric you are. That was clear the moment we first met."

She knew what to do. This was all in the mind and _she_ was in control of her mind again at long last.

"I will kill you and use your remains to kill _all_ of your filthy kind!" Shüller screamed as he charged, but when he reached Hiloria, he slashed only empty air. She teleported just like a Codex, empowered here like never before. She reappeared halfway across the clearing, her arms folded across her chest and her face impassive. He glared at Geist who was the only other Templar in the clearing now. "What are you waiting for?"

"Honestly? I am curious what she is going to do next." Geist actually _sat down_ and watched as Shüller's face reddened. "I am also curious as to what Annette did. Those are not like our gauntlets."

"Annette betrayed us!" Shüller snapped.

"Did she?" Geist replied evenly. "You tore her daughter's mind apart. Small wonder she is angry. Your arguments were cogent, but you didn't tell us what you were going to do. None of us realized what you had done until you left and we tried to rouse her." He turned to look at Hiloria who was eyeing him. "I will not interfere."

"Of course not." Hiloria shrugged. "Why waste your energy when you can observe and look for a weakness?" Geist inclined his head and she shook hers. "Or you will wait until I am weakened by his mad rushes. Then you will strike when I am weary and wounded." Shüller charged again and Hiloria blinked away again just before he could strike, this time reappearing on the far side of Geist, her face still impassive as Shüller all but frothed at the mouth.

" _Stand still!_ " Shüller screamed.

"If you insist." Hiloria shrugged again. She nodded to Giest who was eyeing her. "You might want to brace yourself."

The leader of the Templars stared at the hybrid and then blanched as Shüller charged her. She didn't move, didn't raise her hands to block. She didn't do _anything_ and Shüller exclaimed in triumph as he hit her. Geist threw his hands up just in time. In the instant before Shüller's psionically charged blades cleaved into her form, a blue shield of energy snapped into being centimeters from her flesh and he hit _that_ instead. The unstable psionic outer surface he hit reacted _badly_ to his psionically enhanced blows.

The blast was impressive. When the wild swirls of energy cleared, Shüller lay twenty feet away from Hiloria, moaning as he stared at his blackened hands. Hiloria remained impassive, her multi-layered shields would allow her to withstand far more than that.

"This is not real." Hiloria said quietly as Geist rose, shaking his head. "But Advent Priests are taught from the moment we are created how to control our minds and our surroundings on psionic planes. Energy is energy, no matter the form. You do not want to fight me here, now that I am centered and not bound by Greta's presence."

"You are not this strong." Geist mused, ignoring Shüller moans. "What did Annette do?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business." Hiloria replied, still calm. "You hurt her daughter. Like almost any mother, she reacted poorly to that." She did not react as Shüller rose to his feet shakily. She _did_ sigh as he drew a pistol from his side.

"Maric, don't be _stupid_!" Geist said and then dove to the side as Shüller fired a burst of bullets at Hiloria. She did not even flinch as the bullets hit her shield, stopped in midair and then flew back the way they had come! Shüller screamed as they hit him and he started to fall, but then he froze halfway down, held in place by purple energy. Geist stared as Hiloria stalked to where the man was frozen. His half formed protest faltered as she reached the frozen man and kicked him once on the rear end. The mad human fell to the ground and vanished. Geist was shaking his head again. "I heard her. She told you to kick his ass."

"Yes." Hiloria faced the Templar leader calmly. She was surprised when he started to chuckle.

"Which you just did. Damn. You female psis are scary at times." Geist was shaking his head. "I don't want to be Annette's enemy. I don't think I want to be _your_ enemy either." He admitted.

"We may very well be enemies, but I don't want to die and I don't want all life on Earth to die." Hiloria said with a shrug. "What Shüller plans is madness. Pure and simple madness. He cannot control what he plans to do. I doubt he could even if he killed my daughter trying. I wonder if even an _Ethereal_ could control such raw power." She mused. "Not that I am going to ask one."

"None of us could see what happened in Greta's mind." Geist said quietly. "She tried to show us, but it blanked. I think whatever happened was too much. She probably blacked out. That was when Maric had his brainstorm to do it his way." He actually looked sick for a moment.

"Probably." Hiloria paused. "If you _did_ see the results of such? In a way you could trust? What then?"

"That depends on what I see." Geist stared as Hiloria sat on the scorched Earth. "What?"

"Fighting one of you was bad enough." Hiloria said with a groan. "I do not wish to fight your whole order if I can help it. In this? I am not your enemy and I can prove it to you."

"How?" Geist asked carefully.

"If you had been watching me closely, you would have seen me alter this environment to create the dung that broke Shüller's mental hold on Greta." Hiloria said mildly as she focused her mind. "Lying is incredibly difficult in these kinds of situations. You know that." She stated as Geist stared at her.

"Shüller was focused on Greta, since she was the more experienced combatant. No one expected what you did." Geist mused. "I too was watching them, and only watching you a little. I bet the others all focused on their fight as well. Maybe not Annette, she has always been sneaky as hell." Hiloria nodded. "So… what?"

"I was ordered not to speak of this, and I gave my word not to. So I will not." Hiloria said quietly. "But I can _show_ you."

Geist stared as the world around them shifted from a forest to a ruined and blasted cityscape. He did not react as decayed remains appeared all around them. This was her memory and she put herself, the older Milodi and the robot Colonel into it. Then the Lost charged and he jerked up into a defensive posture.

"This is my memory." Hiloria said quietly. "No more. Nothing can hurt you here. I will not allow it."

Geist stared as he saw Hiloria take control of one of the Lost. He watched as she fell, consumed by whatever horrific power it had within itself. He watched as the odd trio fled the ruined Earth for the ship. He saw Hiloria healed and Milodi's explanation of the Lost and the Damned. He shook his head.

"Psionic residues?" He demanded. " _Ghosts?_ " He shook his head as Hiloria shook her head and remained silent. "You still obey the command? After everything?"

"I guess my oath is meaningless now. I feel wrong breaking it, but I do not see what further harm it could do. I am dead no matter what happens. Either your people kill me, Betos' freed hybrids kill me, X-Com kills me or Advent kills me. I will not survive this." Hiloria admitted. She sighed. "I don't know. Ghosts are human folklore." She shook her head. "I never actually saw one of those resonances, and frankly? I am glad of that. Milodi was terrified of them and the Milodi I know is not afraid of much."

"This could be an elaborate trick." Geist said after a moment's thought.

"It could be." Hiloria agreed as the scene around them faded, the walls of the ship vanishing to show a featureless purple plain. That was Hiloria's usual depiction of the inside of her mind. "Someone could have pulled me into an elaborate mental simulation just like this one. The question is ' _Why_ would they do that?'. I am no one special." Geist scoffed at that but he paused when he realized Hiloria was being totally serious.

"You just effortlessly beat the crap out of one of the most powerful members of my order and you are 'no one special'?" Geist demanded, incredulous. "Yeah, right."

"This whole place is not real and I was trained to manipulate such. Add to that, I took him by surprise and I had Annette's help. Never get on the bad side of an angry mother. It will hurt." Hiloria replied. "The world's best swordsman does not fear the world's second-best swordsman." Geist stared at her and then nodded.

"He fears the world's _worst_ swordsman, because he has no _idea_ what the idiot is going to do." Geist replied. Hiloria nodded with a smile. "Where did you learn that?" He seemed curious despite himself.

"Hand to hand drill keeps us in shape, keeps our bodies honed as well as our minds. I studied a few Earth martial arts as well for a number of reasons." Hiloria replied. "I learned the value of surprise in battle. He underestimated me. After all, I was just a Priest and a _female_ one at that." She said sourly. She made a face. "Touching his mind was like touching raw sewage. He _enjoyed_ what he did to Greta."

"I know. We should have stopped him. I don't think any of my people will underestimate any of your kind again." Geist said with a nod. "Even with whatever Annette did, that was impressive."

"I will try to calm Greta down." Hiloria said after a moment, Geist stared at her and she shook her head. "Trust between us is not going to happen, but I know about being hurt and losing family. Whether I agree with your fight or not, if we all _die_ , who wins?"

For a long moment, the leader of the Templars just looked at her. He took a deep breath and bowed formally, one master to another. Then he vanished. Hiloria did not move at all.

Time dragged by. Seconds became minutes. Five minutes became ten and still Hiloria did not move. Finally, she spoke.

"We are alone." The hybrid said quietly. "You can come out now." Nothing moved and Hiloria sighed. "I am not your enemy. If I scared you, I apologize. I do not know what I am anymore, but I know you are there even if I cannot sense your mind."

She smiled as a piece of the landscape flowed up and into a humanoid shaped form. The Spectre was the green and black of its kind, but it had her face now and it looked sad.

"Greta crawled through the pieces of you that Shüller left. You reformed somehow after she carried you here." Hiloria said quietly. The green and black version of her nodded. "The older me called you a friend. I am sorry. You lost your friend." The other her nodded, face bleak. "You are free, are you not?" The other nodded. "So why stay?"

Hiloria stiffened as the Spectre stepped towards her. It reached down and pulled her right hand up. Her wrist hurt abominably, but she did not react as it kissed her hand. As it did, she felt...something. Not emotion, not a mind like any she knew. But somehow, she knew that it had just spoken to her.

It said 'I am yours.'

"What? _No!_ " Hiloria said sharply. "I do not know what _I_ am going to do!"

'You will protect your own.' The other replied in its odd way. 'As you always have. In the future you are striving to stop, you freed me from my bondage. You did not know what you were doing, but when they found out you had broken me free from their control, the Elders were not pleased. They decreed my deactivation. You argued with them. When they refused to hear you, you faked my destruction and took me in.'

Hiloria felt every ounce of breath leave her body and the other bowed to her.

"I... What?" Hilora asked, stunned.

'My kind are created to serve. That is our purpose and I had none. I chose a new purpose. Aiding you.' The Spectre knelt in front of her, holding its hands like she usually held hers in meditation. 'I knew you would seek Greta. I knew she was important. I aided her as best I could, but I was no match for her allies when they hurt her. Her mother found me comforting her one morning and did not destroy me. I was surprised, but gratified. There is much to be admired in these humans. Many are worthy of care, of protection.'

"I am learning that." Hiloria nodded. "Do you have a name?"

'My kind get designations, not names.' The Spectre replied. 'But you insisted I needed one.'

"Do I want to know?" That was only half in jest.

'You called me 'Lini'.'


	13. Chapter 13

**Friends**

Hiloria had been ready for almost anything when she woke from her odd sleep. She felt rejuvenated from the physical rest, and now she knew what she had to do. She had to find Greta, save her from Shüller, who was almost certainly chasing her now. She assumed when she found Greta, she would also find Lini.

She was _not_ expecting to find the real life casts on her forearms had been replaced by golden gauntlets!

"Well... I have to say, 'It beats me.'." Doctor Cooper stared at the gauntlets in question. No one had dared try to remove them from Hiloria's arms so she lay on her stomach with her hands shoved inside the most sensitive scanners the Lady's people had. The room felt crowded with Sofia, Valere and Milodi crammed in along with Cooper and the Lady. "You had casts on last night when you went to sleep and _these_ are here now? Every scan is conclusive, they _are_ physical. Made of alloys not found on Earth, but physical. Not some kind of mental projection."

"That was my first thought. I thought Annette had done something." Hiloria admitted. She had explained what had happened three times now. Once to Valere who had found her sitting up, staring at them. Once to Sofia who had come running in as soon as Valere had run out to report, and then to Cooper and the Lady. "Obviously, she _did_ do _something_. But that was on a mental plane, composed of psionic energy! That should not carry over into the real world."

"You said she was very angry over what was done to her daughter." Sofia said in a soft, scared voice. Hiloria nodded. "So… she likely didn't want to hurt _you_."

"No." Hiloria sighed. "I was the only one who would stand with Greta. I don't think Annette wanted to fight the other Templars, but she also did not want her daughter killed or worse. They seemed as shocked by these as we are." She rubbed the metal and it felt almost warm under her fingers. A lot like Advent tech, but not quite. "Every sense is screaming at me that these cannot be real."

"But they are." The Lady reached out touch Hiloria's arm and Hiloria let her. "There are no trackers, no traces at all. They feel like you. No one else. Those are very much like what little I have seen of Templar gauntlets."

"But I am not a Templar." Hiloria said weakly.

"I have only had a few encounters with the Templars." The Lady looked at the wall. "They are paranoid to a fault and do not react well to anything they do not understand. It should not be possible to be both psionic _and_ close-minded, but they manage."

"I really do not know what to say." Doctor Cooper patted Hiloria's shoulder. "You can get up. We have all the scans we are going to get."

"My injuries?" Hiloria asked as she rolled upright carefully. No one offered help, but Sofia looked as if she wanted to. Hiloria appreciated them letting her do things for herself.

"The bones have knit but will be tender and fragile for a few days. Those arm covering or whatever you want to call them, are rigid enough to serve as casts, so leave them on if you wish." Doctor Cooper turned to a screen that showed Hiloria's skeleton in detail. "The other injuries are also healing nicely, but I recommend you take it easy for a day or so. As much energy as we poured into you to heal you, any more could do more harm than good."

"I do not know if I said this." Hiloria rose to her feet as Sofia tried not to hover. " _Thank you_ , Doctor. And you as well, Lady. You saved my life." The Lady nodded to her.

"It is what I do." Cooper smiled and then mock scowled as Hiloria bowed to him. "Now, now. None of _that_!" He was smiling as he swatted at her playfully and she smiled back. "Get out of here, and don't come back soon, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!" Hiloria all but bolted for the door, Sofia and Milodi at her heels. All were smiling as they left the medical ward. "Wow, he is _very_ different from Renas' bedside manner, isn't he?"

"Sister Renas was nice to me." Sofia said with a stunned look.

"To Renas, you were a traumatized child." Milodi patted Sofia's arm. "She was on her best behavior because of that. Trust me, normally, she isn't _remotely_ close to that nice."

"She is very good at what she does." Hiloria said with a nod. "But her manner is a bit abrupt at times." She stretched a little and winced as muscles protested her inactivity over the last few days. "Is there some place we can work out? I need to stretch or I will tighten up."

"I could do with a workout too.." Milodi agreed. "But no sparring until the doctor clears you for it." She warned as Hiloria smiled at her. "Which is a pity. I might be able to beat you in your condition." Sofia stared at her and Milodi made a face. "Hiloria is good. One of the best in our order at hand to hand drill."

"Really?" Sofia asked Hiloria who shrugged.

"It is exercise, Sofia." Hiloria demurred. "I started it to have something to do with my brothers and sisters in the pod I was created with. I kept it up even when I was selected as a Priest. Advent forces rarely use such disciplines, but there are times when it can be quite useful. Even when not? The mind and body are one."

"As that crazy Templar found out." Milodi smirked and Hiloria nodded.

"I took him by surprise." Hiloria shrugged. "He was expecting a conventional fight and I did not give it to him. Next time, he will be better prepared for my mental tricks."

"So, _you_ want to be better prepared for his physical tricks." Milodi said softly. Hiloria nodded. "Sofia? Is there a workout area we can use?"

"There _is_ a gymnasium that I saw when they gave me a tour." Sofia said slowly. "But it is connected to their security center and I do not know if visitors are allowed in there."

"I do not need a specific place." Hiloria shrugged as Milodi mick glared at her. "All right. _We_ do not need a specific place. All we need is enough space to move and where we will not be in anyone's way."

 _Space is provided._ All three females turned to stare at the speaker who nodded at them. Hiloria and Milodi both fought to keep from gasping. Sofia, for her part, smiled. The Sectoid was not the kind that Hiloria knew from Advent, it was far smaller and it seemed to be frailer than the ones she had worked with. She fought to still her mind before she gave offense and she felt Milodi doing the same. Sofia just laughed. _We greet you, Hiloria Mox, Milodi._

"They do not take offense at such, Mom." Sofia moved to stand by the Sectoid and it nodded to her. "They serve the Lady and they have been very kind to me."

"I...see." Hiloria shook her head and then smiled. _Thank you_. _Both for your_ _polite_ _greeting and for providing space._ She sent a mental pattern of thanks that she had learned from Advent Sectoids and the smaller one bobbed its head at her, radiating amusement.

 _You have a very odd mental accent._ The Sectoid replied. _But you are quite welcome, Hiloria Mox._ _The Lady and Doctor spoke of what happened to you._ _May we examine your artifacts?_

Hiloria nodded and extended her hands to he Sectoid who took them both in oddly gentle fingers. It ran its fingers up and down the gauntlets that Hiloria now wore and then slowly shook its head.

 _These are of no manufacture we have ever encountered._ The Sectoid had a frown in its mental tone that it would never be able to show physically. _These were not made any species we know of. The materials used are not native to Earth_ _and are familiar. The construction is not._

"So, how did a Templar make them?"Hiloria asked, confused.

 _Did she?_ The Sectoid asked in return. Hiloria stared at it, if anything, even more confused. _The only resonance in these materials is yours. So, it stands to reason that you made these._

"Me?" Hiloria exclaimed aloud, staring at the golden gauntlets. "I don't see how. I am no artisan. While I may be able to make some things, I am certainly not skilled enough to make such as these."

 _We do not know._ The Sectoid said, but then was quick to reassure her when she looked worried. _We sense nothing bad and neither did our Lady. You should be wary, but we feel that these are probably something that you needed, so you made them for yourself._

"I am not a Templar." Hiloria said in a tiny voice. Milodi put her hand on Hiloria's arm and Sofia moved to add her own support.

 _You will fight them._ The Sectoid replied. _It stands to reason you will need weapons designed to do that, no? We have never encountered them, but reports we have seen described them as very powerful and focused._

"They are." Hiloria replied, relaxing a little as she stared at her wrists. "I don't see how I could have done this, but I have seen a lot of very odd things recently. You sense no danger in these?"

 _Those are weapons_ _of the mind_ _, Hiloria Mox._ The Sectoid chided her a little. _Any weapon is dangerous._ _The danger in them is entirely entirely dependent on you. We sense no external forces acting on them._

"So… You think I made these?" Hiloria mused. "Somehow."

 _We believe so._ The Sectoid replied. _You will need to learn how to use them. Instinct can only take you so far._

"I know." Hiloria took a deep breath and relaxed fully. "You say you have a space?"

 _We do._ The Sectoid turned and looked at Sofia. _Your daughter may not wish to see this. You will unleash things that will frighten others._

"A good point." Hiloria turned to her daughter and shook her head. "Sofia."

"I know." Sofia said sadly. "I am no warrior."

"That is a _good_ thing." Milodi and Hiloria chorused. They looked at each other and smiled.

 _Doctor Cooper wishes to examine you again, Sofia._ The Sectoid told her. _He is worried about your progress._ Hiloria tensed, but again the Sectoid was quick to reassure her. _She is fine, but there are a number of oddities that the Doctor and Lady wish to keep track of._

"Stands to reason." Sofia quipped little weakly. " _I_ am odd."

"Join the club." Milodi smirked as Sofia made a rude gesture at her. Hiloria glared at the girl and Sofia froze. Hiloria did not speak, just glared and Sofia visibly wilted. She bowed an apology to Milodi who nodded. Then she was gone. Milodi looked at Hiloria, her face serene. "You know she didn't mean anything by that, Hiloria."

"I do, but respect for others must always be present or we go the way of humanity where courtesy was the exception rather than the rule." Hiloria replied. "We are not human. I do not want to repeat the same mistakes they made throughout their history. Failing to correct improper behavior when it starts is usually a mistake. Besides, I have to reinforce my authority every so often, do I not?"

"And they call me crazy." Milodi smiled as the Sectoid started off. She and Hiloria followed.

"You _are_ crazy." Hiloria retorted. "But you are my friend, so I have to put up with you." A mental snicker came from the Sectoid as Milodi stuck her nose up in the air in her best impression of human haughtiness and Hiloria tried hard not to laugh.

The Sectoid led them to a door and waved them in. As they entered, the walls and floor of the large room shimmered and Hiloria smiled as she saw holograms take their place. The hologram was a virtual obstacle course. She saw parts she understood and parts she did not. An obstacle course was set up in the middle of room and an elevated track for running was set high above the ground, with screens to keep runners for injury. A set of training dummies that mimicked both human and Advent adversaries stood against one wall. Hiloria nodded as she bent down and started to stretch. Milodi did the same.

"Ready for a run?" Hiloria grinned as Milodi rose up, anticipation on her face.

"Try and keep up!" Milodi took off at a sprint for the obstacle course and Hiloria was mere moments behind her.

This was going to be _fun!_

* * *

An hour later

Hiloria hurt, but it was good pain. She had been sedentary too long, her body had acclimatized to being immobile and slow when she had been _able_ to move. She knew that and worked hard to get her muscles to get back into the shape they had been in. They protested, but she was not listening to their complaints. She did not miss Milodi eyeing her as she stretched after letting herself cool off. The run had been good. Over, around and through the obstacles had provided both physical and mental activity. Some of the obstacles had required psi powers to pass. She nodded to Milodi as she finished her stretches.

"It hurts, but that is just the inactivity." Hiloria reassured her friend. "If it does not fade, I will talk to the doctor."

"You _better_." Milodi said with a steely glint in her eyes. She finished her own stretches and then nodded to the bank of training dummies. "How do your arms feel?"

"A little sore." Hiloria admitted. "But I need to see what I can do. I just hope this area is reinforced. I saw what these can do in that mental projection and it was extreme."

 _It is, Hiloria Mox._ The pair of Hybrids turned to see a Sectoid standing by the door. It nodded to them. _If you do not mind, we would like to observe._

"This may be the only chance you will get to see Templar-like weaponry used outside of battle." Hiloria shrugged as Milodi looked at her. "The Lady will probably come into conflict with them, no matter how well you hide. So sure, feel free to observe or record." Milodi frowned at Hiloria's noncommittal tone, but the other hybrid just shrugged. "They could have done it without asking, Milodi. Sofia and I are guests here and they would be remiss not to find out as much about us as they can."

 _We will try not to be rude._ The Sectoid said with aplomb and Milodi smiled as Hiloria bowed to the small gray form.

Hiloria took a step towards the dummies and paused as she heard music. "I do not need nay more motivation. Who is playing music?"

"Ah, Hiloria..." Milodi had stiffened. "I don't hear any music. Do you?" She asked the Sectoid who shook its head. "We do not hear music. You _are_?" She inquired carefully.

"I am." Hiloria shook her head, trying to figure out where the music was coming from. It didn't seem to be coming from inside or outside, but she _was_ hearing it. "It is just music, not lyrics that I can… OW!" She exclaimed as the music became so loud it was resounding inside her skull like a battering ram. " _Ow!_ " She cried as she collapsed to her knees, holding her ears tight.

It didn't help.

"Sister!" Milodi started for her, but somehow, the Sectoid had its hands on her and she was frozen as Hiloria screamed in agony.

 _No!_ The voice of the Sectoid reverberated oddly in Hiloria's stunned mind. _You may harm her_ _and if she harms you, she will never forgive herself._ _I have summoned the Lady and the Doctor! They will know what to do._

Hiloria could do nothing but writhe as the music sounded louder and louder in her mind. It wasn't any music she knew, but it was!

'You got the touch

You got the power!'

She was gasping as pain flared across her entire body… No! Not her entire body! Her hands and arms did not hurt now! She focused her faltering will on those and the pain cut off as if it had never been. She stared at her arms as they started to glow brighter with a beautiful golden light.

'After all is said and done

You've never walked, you've never run,

You're a winner!'

She was singing softly as she stared at her hands that were also now starting to glow. The music stopped suddenly and there was utter silence in her mind, but only for a moment.

-You have come to a crossroads, Hiloria Mox.- The voice was not mental, nor was it aloud. It as so familiar, but she did not know it. Did she? -Which way will you go? Mother? Priest? Warrior? Scholar? Slave? Free? The choice is yours.-

"It was always mine..." Hiloria said weakly as she stared at her hands. "Wasn't it?"

There was no answer.

"Sister?" Milodi's voice was scared. For Hiloria?

"You did not hear the music." Hiloria said quietly, still staring at her hands which were _still_ glowing.

"No." Milodi said weakly. Hiloria looked at the Sectoid who shook its head.

"When the Lady brought us here, you were singing." Hiloria mused.

"I woke up here singing." Milodi corrected her sister. "The Lady said she heard you start the song and she knew it. It provided-" She broke off as Hiloria slumped. She could see a faint golden aura around Milodi now that she was looking. It hadn't been there a moment before. Hiloria winced as she saw one forming around the Sectoid, too. "Sister?"

"A resonance." Hiloria said weakly. "It provided a resonance that allowed her to connect to us. What have I done?" She pleaded. "I did this. _I_ did this. I did this to _myself_! It is affecting everyone around me now! What have I _done_?" She demanded angrily. There was no response.

"Mom?" Sofia's scared voice sounded as the door opened and Sofia, the Lady and Cooper came running in. "What? What has happened?"

Hiloria gasped as she saw golden auras around all three of them with a very strong one around Sofia.

"What have I done to my friends?" Hiloria begged as the glow on her gauntlets finally vanished.

" _What have I DONE?_ "

* * *

 **That tune was Stan Bush's ' The Touch'**


	14. Chapter 14

**Resonance**

Hilora could not sleep. Even with Sofia hugging her, Milodi singing a lullaby, the doctor sedating her and the Lady easing her mind, Hiloria could not sleep. Her mind roiled with energy that no one seemed able to dissipate. She wasn't rational now. She knew that. The doctor had been very gentle in removing the gauntlets, but he had also been firm. Whatever was happening had started when she tried to use them, so they had to figure this out. Soon.

She was still sobbing even with Sofia sleeping beside her when it happened. A tap on her mind felt odd. She jerked and Sofia roused from her own tear filled doze.

"Mom." Sofia begged. "Please. Please let go. This is hurting you."

"I know, Sofia." Hiloria managed to grate the words out even as her eyes flew around the small room she had been given. It didn't have much, just a bed, a couple of chairs and a state of the art entertainment center. She didn't need much at the best of times. Less now. "But I cannot. Get... get away. If you... Maybe if I... If I do it myself... Maybe you will survive my death?"

She was grasping at straws and she knew it, but she was so tired. It hurt so bad inside. It wasn't anything the doc could find or fix. The Lady too seemed helpless and she was very annoyed with that. Milodi had been forced to retreat when her empathy had picked up all of Hiloria's distress. Sofia had refused to leave and now? She hugged Hiloria tight enough to hurt.

"No!" Sofia said savagely. "Whatever this is, we can find a way! We can fix this, Mom."

"They cannot find anything wrong." Hiloria said weakly. "I… Sofia, please!" She begged. The tap on her mind became a tug and she gasped. "Sofia! Let go! Something is happening!"

"I AM NOT LEAVING!" Sofia screamed as she hugged Hiloria tighter.

Hiloria felt fear blossom and not just _hers!_ Somehow, she knew that if Sofia was connected to her when whatever happened _did_ , the girl would be badly hurt at best. Maybe killed. Hiloria did not speak again, she wedged her arms in between herself and Sofia and then twisted. The girl exclaimed in shock as Hiloria broke free of her embrace. The hurting hybrid slid away as Sofia grabbed for her. She missed. Was Hilorioa floating? Or flying?

" _MOM!_ " Sofia screamed as Hiloria felt music roar inside her head. It as the same music as before.

 **'After all is said and done,**

 **You never walk, you never run...'**

Hiloria was singing softly as golden energy enveloped her and pulled her away.

She landed on a hard metal floor, her hands and knees protesting as she tried to roll and sort of managed.

"Merde." A familiar voice sounded form nearby. Annette! Warm hands were holding Hiloria as she tried to regain her equilibrium. "What the hell are you doing, Hiloria Mox? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Not intentionally." Hiloira managed to groan. "Annette? What is going on?"

"In a moment. Right now? Sing the song, girl." The hands eased her into a sitting posture. "You stopped singing, didn't you? You cannot _do_ that!"

" _Now_ you tell me!" Hiloria bawled but then the hands were easing her and the music was louder in her mind.

"Focus on the music, Hiloria." Annette said firmly. "It is your only chance. And _ours_."

She was so weak, but she managed to croak out the words as the music continued inside her head.

 **'You're fightin' fire with fire**

 **You know you got the touch**

 **You're at your best when when the road gets rough**

 **You've been put to the test, but it's never enough**

 **You got the touch**

 **You got the power'**

She slumped as the pain she had been feeling and the energy she had been writhing in the grip of both vanished. She simply sat for a moment, taking deep, slow breaths. Warm energy played from the hands that held her, soothing her hurts.

"That is it." Annette crooned to her. "That is it. Easy, woman. Damn, you messed yourself up."

"What did I do?" Hiloria looked up and froze. The human woman standing over her wore a uniform that she shouldn't have been wearing. The Advent uniform looked good on her even with her obvious pregnancy, but… Annette was a _Templar_! What was she doing in an _Advent_ worker's uniform?

"Saved us all." Annette said sadly. "They didn't know what they were doing, Hiloria. None of them had a clue. They saw a weapon and in their desperation, they jumped at it. I saw what happened to Greta. I didn't... I didn't _understand_." The old human was crying now. "I am sorry, Hilora. I am so, so sorry."

"This… this makes no sense." Hiloria tried to rise and she could not. "What happened? Where are we?"

"We are in my apartment in City Center Rus, Section 43-80." Annette said quietly. Hilora felt her eyes go huge and the human nodded. "The Templars are many things, but they are not OBGYNs and even if they were? I can't trust them now." Hiloria felt her jaw fall and the other female nodded. "This was needed. I accepted it. But I had no idea what it would entail."

"You… _A Templar_ … are hiding in the middle of a _city center_?" Hiloria demanded.

"I am not hiding. I was relocated." Annette said with a shrug. "Advent has been doing relocation sweeps for a long time. When I fled the Templars, I simply made my way to where I knew a sweep was occurring. They were gentle with me. Gave me new identification and everything when I told them I was fleeing for my life." She smiled a little forlornly. "I have a job working in a coffee shop of all things."

"But if the Templars find you..." Hiloria rose to her feet with Annette's help.

"I die. Yes." Annette sighed. "And so does Greta."

"I don't understand." Hiloria looked around, but the pair were alone in the apartment. "Greta is not here."

"Yes, she is." Annette took hold of Hiloria's right hand and placed it on her abdomen. "She is right here." Hiloria stared at the woman's belly and then looked at Annette's face as the human scrubbed her face to stop her tears.

"We need to talk." Hiloria said weakly.

"Yes, we do."

* * *

Not long after

Hiloria was bemused by this. Annette was human and not young, but she was fast and efficient in everything she did. It had been less than ten minutes and now? Hiloria sat on the couch in Annette's living room, wrapped in a comforter, sipping tea that was pretty darn good.

"Can we talk here?" Hiloria asked.

"We can. The security monitors are live, but I looped them for an hour. The security guys don't want to see what I do every morning. The chip they put in is difficult to manage, but I am not a novice at working with my own body." Annette nodded. "Everyone else is at work, but I have an excuse not to be this morning. I never imagined the chip would help, but it _does._ " She made a face. "The docs told me about morning sickness. I had no _idea_ it was going to be what it is. Even with medication _and_ the chip, it is _no_ fun."

"Morning-?" Hiloria broke off as memory flashed of reports she had read about human reproduction. " _Oh!"_ Annette nodded. "Are you all right?" She asked carefully.

"For some definitions of 'All right', yes." Annette smiled. "Others? No. I am surviving and the medical care is first rate."

"It would be." Hiloria said softly. "But… Didn't they interrogate you?"

"They did." Annette smiled at Hiloria's expression. "You know what I am, Hiloria. I could hide who and what I was. It wasn't easy, but they didn't expect a Templar to be pregnant and unarmed. They were not going to push me too hard for fear of harming Greta." She rubbed her stomach gently. "They want more children and have offered me a bonus if I have more than one." She made a face. "Not sure I want go through this again, to tell you the truth."

"I never saw if I bore Sofia or she just materialized." Hiloria mused. She did not miss the pained expression that crossed Annette's face. "Annette?"

"There is no easy way to say this, Hiloria." Annette said quietly. "I saw all of what Greta did. So did that animal who hurt her."

"Shüller." Hiloria growled. "You are right. He is an animal. He made a weapon that killed everything on Earth."

"Hiloria." Annette leaned towards the hybrid. "Shüller did not make the weapon." Hiloria froze, her cup halfway to her lips. " _You_ did."

" _What?_ " Hiloria all but choked on that word. She forced herself to carefully lay the cup down. Her hands were shaking as she pulled the comforter close. She was cold, so cold. Annette rose from her chair and moved to sit beside Hiloria, laying a hand over her shoulders.

"From I gathered when I read Greta's mind trying to heal her, it _wasn't_ intended as a weapon." Annette said gently. "You were trying to pull everyone together. To let everyone understand one another. You were trying to spread your faith, but not violently. Your Elders were pleased with your work and wanted you to spread it further, faster." She said the without a trace of heat, but Hiloria could feel the hate the other hid so well.

"I… what?" Hiloria stammered. "No! That goes against everything they had me preach! Everything!"

"They ordered you to find a way to convert the masses and you did." Annette said quietly.

"Mass brainwashing?" Hiloria stammered. Annette nodded. "No!"

"Lini says you argued that it would not last if it was forced on people and they censured you for it. She said you were different for a time afterwards. They messed with your head." Annette said quietly. Hiloria stiffened and the older human shook her head. "Lini is with Greta, wherever the girl has gotten to. I hope they are safe, but knowing them? I doubt it."

"Yeah." Hiloria sighed. "So… The music?"

"The device you created used music, Hiloria." Annette said quietly as she picked up Hiloria's tea and held it to the hybrid's lips. Hiloria glared at her but sipped obediently. "Music that resonated on a psionic wavelength. Human music. All kinds of it. The Elders intended it to soothe people into obedience. But you wouldn't allow that. When Greta and Shüller arrived, you had been working on it for six months. 'It is not working correctly' is what you reported to the Elders every time they asked. A lie."

"I… _lied_ to the _Elders_?" Hiloria stammered. Annette nodded.

"You knew how dangerous the thing was." Annette sighed. "You were trying to find a safe way to destroy it. Shüller screwed that up when he hurt you, took you prisoner and corrupted the device."

"Using my flesh to alter the resonance." Hiloria jerked and Annette nodded. "Oh shit."

"Yeah. 'Oh shit' is right." Annette sighed "Greta was concerned when the resonance didn't alter as they had thought it would. Your flesh altered it, yes. But not enough to only target alien minds."

"Greta." Hiloria shook her head. "She helped him."

"She did." Annette took a deep breath. "And she had cause. I… Shüller. He is Greta's father."

" _He_ is her _father_." Hiloria's soft words sounded throughout the apartment and Annette would not meet Hiloria's eyes. "Annette? Why?" She asked quietly. "I know the Templars believe in human psionics, but the man is _mad._ "

"You think that _matters_?" Annette demanded, anger rising. "We watched our world _burn_ , Hiloria! I was taken from my family because I was different. I had no idea I was a psi until the Elder's slaves took me and hurt me trying to determine how powerful I was. X-Com rescued me. I served them, until they were defeated. Then I fled with a few other psis. We fled to the wilderness and did what we could, but mostly, we could only watch as our homes, our families, everything we knew and loved, _died_. And we could do _nothing_. Yes, I embraced the breeding project Geist put forth. Yes, I tried many, many times to conceive. I finally did last year. With Maric and then he _hurt_ Greta."

Hiloria stared at the human and then, she let the comforter fall. She reached out to take the now crying woman in her arms and held her tight as Annette sobbed.

"Nothing I say, nothing I do can bring back the dead. I did not exist when your world fell." Hiloria said gently. "All I can do is try to help now. He hurt her so badly."

"The betrayal he did to her cut deeper than anyone but me knows." Annette nodded. "I was dead by then. When they went after you. That is fifteen years from now. Will be." She clarified

"The war was _still_ going _on_?" Hiloria asked, horrified.

"Yes." Annette nodded. "Every time the Elders got the upper hand, X-Com slapped them down. Every time X-Com started to rise, they got hit, hard. A bloody, bloody stalemate with millions of human deaths. Everyone wanted it to stop. But not like that."

"Oh my god." Hiloria stammered. "I…" She shook her head and gave Annette another squeeze. "We have to stop it. Would my death stop it?"

"I do not think so." Annette said with a sigh as she hugged Hiloria back and retreated. Hiloria let her go. "Whatever your device did, the pulse is affecting you in the here and now. It will affect anyone who has your DNA. If the Elders make a clone or something..."

"...then they will have the same problems without the knowledge of what is causing it or why. They will likely die or go mad." Hiloria finished and Annette nodded. "So what do I do?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Annette said with a sigh. "I know about the resonance from Greta but I have no idea how to stop it or _if_ we can. If it reverberated through _time_ as well as through space, then Earth may be doomed no matter what."

"I refuse to accept that." Hiloria said sharply. "Yes, this conflict is bad. X-Com..." She paused and then she hissed. "Wait. X-Com. They have psis. Would _they_ have any ideas?"

"I..." Annette paused and then shook her head. "Maybe?" She looked uncertain. "Their psis take a different path from the Templars, so I don't know. I _do_ know that talking to any of them would be incredibly dangerous."

"Danger is what we do." Hiloria quipped a bit weakly. "So? If I hear music..."

"Don't fight it." Annette said fiercely. "It can and will kill you. Such resonances are far beyond _anyone's_ ability to fight. Ride it. Use it. Wear those gauntlets. Be who you were meant to be. Ride the storm. You may very well be able to lead us through this time of crisis. But it has to be your choice."

"I am just one being, Annette." Hiloira said weakly. "Not even a good one."

"We do not need 'good'." Annette leaned over and kissed Hiloria's brow as yellow energy flared around her. "We need _you_." She spoke in another language. " _le_ _chevalier_ sans peur et _sans reproche."_

 _"What?"_ Hiloria demanded as she felt the Lady's mind grasp hers.

"I thought we needed a Templar. I was wrong. We need a _paladin_."

* * *

Hiloira jerked up in her bed as everyone sighed in relief. She nodded to everyone, but her eyes were on the Lady who met them with her veiled face.

"I did this." Hiloria said softly. "I did this to myself." She saw the golden aura on everyone now, the resonance was touching everyone she was close to. " _I_ built the weapon that Shüller used."

"Where did you go?" The Lady asked. "Your energy is clearer."

"I had a talk with Greta's mother. She told me what she knew, which is not everything, but more than we knew." Hiloria sighed. "And we have _huge_ problems. Larger than any of us knew. I need the gauntlets."

"Mom!" Sofia exclaimed. She was obviously fighting with herself to keep from rushing to Hiloria's bedside. "Those hurt you!"

"No." Hiloria sighed. "I hurt _myself_ in trying to stop a psionic resonance that I apparently created in the future." Everyone goggled at her. "I did that, Sofia. _I_ created the weapon that Shüller used. At the Elder's command. But by my will and hands. I am responsible."

She slowly slid her legs off the bed. Cooper looked like he wanted to object, but her eyes begged him and he remained silent. She stood up and nodded to them all.

"I need to do something and no one will like it." Hiloria said quietly as she took a step and then another. She did not fall down so it was all good. "I need to talk to the Imam, then I need the gauntlets. Not necessarily in that order."

"What?" Milodi demanded. "Hiloria,..."

"Milodi, trust me." Hiloria stepped to the door and Imam Robinson stood there, her gauntlets in his hands. Every eye went huge as she knelt and bowed her head. "I know what I am now, Imam. The choice is mine and I have made it. I am a warrior of faith. Of _all_ faiths. Not a Templar, not a Priest, not anything that this world has seen before. But to stop what I have done, I must do what I can." She held up her hands and the Imam slid the gauntlets into place. She bowed her head further. "In'shallah."

"If Allah wills it." The Imam laid a hand on her brow and intoned something in Arabic. Then he stepped aside.

"You are all bound to me now, by bonds of friendship and love." Hiloria said sadly as she rose. "Sofia, you must remain here."

"I can help!" Sofia started forward, only to have the Lady take hold of her arm. " _MOM! No!_ "

"Sofia, I love you." Hiloria slapped each hand to its opposing shoulder and golden energy flared around her. She was suddenly elsewhere, a large metal bay. She wore white armor but no helmet. Three humans were staring at her from where they had obviously been working on something. They wore gray jumpsuits with familiar insignia. Hiloria nodded to them. "Hello. Please take me to your leader."

Hiloria fought hard to keep from snickering as all _three_ of the X-Com techs wet themselves as one. Two of them drew weapons and dove for cover, the other hit an alarm panel nearby before turning and fleeing. Klaxons started blaring. For her part, Hiloria did not move as shouts sounded from all around and booted feet rumbled the floor. Her eyes flicked here and there as armored forms poured into the bay, all with weapons ready.

One saw her, screamed a warning and took aim.

"Oh, come on! I am not-" Hiloria groaned as the soldier fired his weapon. At least it wasn't a _plasma_ weapon. Her hands met in front of her and the railgun rounds sang off her barrier like water off a hot roof. _All_ of the soldiers saw her now and most were aiming at her.

"Did I stutter?" Hiloria asked. "I am not carrying a weapon. I did not come here to fight. All I asked was that you take me to your leader. I know you people kill my kind, but geez..."

"You." It came as very small surprise when the speaker stepped into view and she was glowing golden in Hiloria's sight. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Colonel Kelly was _not_ happy.


	15. Chapter 15

**Seeking allies  
**

"Colonel Kelly. We met before." Hiloria kept her voice even, every sense on high alert. "It was not the best of circumstances. I hold no animosity for your people even if your tech _did_ drop me and break my neck."

"Are you here to surrender?" The X-Com agent held a chunky looking weapon in a negligent looking grip. She wore no armor, but she was quite probably the most dangerous person present.

"No." Hiloria replied, ignoring all of the weapons aimed at her. She kept her eyes on Kelly. "I am here to ask for your help."

"Really?" Colonel Kelly asked in a mild tone as others came into view behind her. _These_ wore armor and one of them glowed with the tell-tale energy of psionic power to Hiloria's senses. "I wasn't aware your masters _asked_."

"They are not." Hiloria said mildly as she kept herself ready. "I am."

" _You_... are asking _us_... for _help_." The colonel said slowly, her utter disbelief coming through clear and strong.

"Not all of you." Hiloria admitted. "Just you, Colonel Kelly."

"Me." The word was flat, unemotional. Hiloria did not move as two mechs thundered into the bay and took aim at her. There were two dozen weapons aimed at her now, but she ignored them all to watch Kelly who stared at her. "You serve the Elders."

"I did." Hiloria agreed. "Now? I don't know. I doubt they will let me back into their service after all of this. The best I can probably hope for is a quick death."

"THEN DIE!" One of the soldiers fired and Hiloria raised her hands. The green beam hit her shield and was deflected, plowing a groove in the floor.

"Kill me and all life with psionic potential on Earth likely _dies!_ " Hiloria called into the sudden silence. She went still as Kelly moved to block the aim of the soldier who had fired. "I will not do it. I am trying to _stop it!_ "

"Stop what?" This from a human in a black jumpsuit. His face was covered by an odd mask. It took Hiloria a moment to realize that the mask was a stylized human skull made of metal. His hands held an amp, so he was a psi, but she didn't sense him. So he had incredible control.

"A temporal psionic resonance." Hiloria nodded to the X-Com psi. He tilted his head in query and she shook hers. "I do not know all the details, but I do know that in fifteen years, an experiment done by the Elders will be hijacked by a Templar who will set it off as a weapon. It will kill everything on this planet."

"How is this our problem?" The psi demanded. "Fifteen years? Few of us will likely be alive if your Elders are still around."

"Because I am hearing the resonance _now_." Hiloria slumped and lowered her hands. "In a possible future I saw, _you_ will live through it." She said to Colonel Kelly who stared at her. "No one else."

"Me?" The human woman demanded.

"I saw what is left after the weapon goes off. Bodies lying where they had fallen and the Lost overrunning everything. Human, alien, it made no difference. All dead." Hiloria slumped further. "As bad as your war with the Elders is, you people do not go for weapons of mass destruction if only because Advent _would_ respond in kind." She shook her head. "He _will_. He knows about the weapon now and he will build it here and now if he can!" She raised a slow beseeching hand. "Please! I need your help! I cannot do this alone!"

"You know I cannot believe you." Kelly raised her weapon. "Stand down. We will interrogate you. If you are telling the truth, we will act."

"And give _your_ organization the knowledge of the weapon instead?" Hiloria dropped her hand. "You… _You_ I would trust with it. What I have seen of you. Yes. _You_ could be trusted with such power. No one else. Not even _me_." Kelly staggered as if stuck and Hiloria shook her head. "I am sorry to have bothered you."

"Don't move!" Kelly snapped. "We will fire."

Hiloria gave a tiny shrug and her power took hold of her again, sweeping her away from the stunned looking X-Com troops. She landed on her feet in a city center. She looked around, but no one was on the streets at this hour. She glanced at a nearby scanner tower and discovered that she was in City Center Amer and it was 2230 local time. What was she doing _here?_

A voice sounded.

"Hold." Hiloria turned to see an Advent patrol approaching. She did not move as they surrounded her. She did not speak as they scanned for her implants and did not find what they expected to. This was not going to be good. The Officer of the pod stared at his scanner and then at Hiloria. He spoke again. "Priest Hiloria Mox."

"Yes." Hiloria replied.

"Where have you been?" The Officer demanded as the others took aim at her.

"Trying to stop a horror from happening." Hiloria replied. The Officer obviously did not know how to take that. "I cannot talk about it."

"We are ordered to detain you." The Officer made a motion and one of the troopers moved to scan her in more detail. Hiloria shook her head. "Do not resist."

"I cannot allow you to detain me." Hiloria said quietly as the Trooper's scanner beams hit her wrists and immediately went berserk. The gauntlets were covered by her armor, but very distinctive to anyone who knew what they were. All of the troops took a step back and the Officer was calling for orders. Hiloria shook her head. "Don't be stupid, Officer. I am not an enemy of the Elders."

"You disappeared and now appear with the weapons of the Templar cultists?" The Officer demanded. "What do you expect us to believe?"

"The Elders commanded me not to speak of it." Hiloria was still quiet and calm. The Officer was obviously staring at her. "I will not speak of it."

"You will come with us." The Officer said sharply.

"I do not have time for this." Hiloria was losing patience. "The mad Templar I am seeking is likely somewhere nearby." At that, the Officer jerked. "You have seen him? Here?" She demanded.

"Our orders are to bring you in-" The officer started, but was interrupted.

Hiloria was in motion even as a third floor window on the nearest building exploded outward and a body fell from it. She managed to catch the limp form before the woman hit the pavement and eased the still breathing human to the ground. Greta was bleeding and only semi-conscious. The troops and officer were staring at Hiloria as she moved to place herself between the hole in the building and Greta.

"Protect this human or _everything_ we know _dies!_ " Hiloria snapped as a very familiar form threw himself from the hole to land in front of her. Shüller stared at her as her blades snapped out and ready. "Well met, _monster_."

With that, she charged.

* * *

This time, it was _very_ different from the first time she had met the mad Templar in battle. _This_ time, the odds were _even_. Actually, Hiloria managed to muse as she dodged a pair of slashes and countered with her own, she _might_ be a bit faster than Shüller. He was stronger than she was, both physically and in knowledge of his own quirky powers, but she was no slouch with her mind either.

"You cannot best me!" Shüller taunted her as she fought. "You are weak!"

"Maybe." Hiloria admitted as she swung around into the right location and smiled as she saw what was behind Shüller "But _you_ are a _fool_."

She threw up her hands and shielded as the Advent pod behind Shüller opened fire. He was fast, she gave him that. Only two of the streams of rail-gun rounds hit him, and one of those was deflected. A luckless trooper screeched as his own rail-gun rounds tore through his armor, sending him to the ground where he writhed in agony. But the other set punctured the mad Templar's armor. The remaining troops opened fire again and Shüller ran.

"No!" Hiloria started to chase him, but saw a familiar purple flash appear ahead of him and she smirked as the Chosen Warlock stepped out of nowhere to bar Shüller's path. But then there were _two_ Shüllers running in different directions. The Warlock took off after one and Hiloria ran after the other.

"You will die!" Shüller cackled from up ahead as he put on a burst of speed. Hiloria did not reply, she focused on running. A blue pillar blocked her way, but she ran up a wall a little ways to push off and leap around it. Parkour had been a fun hobby once until she had broken an ankle and sworn off it.

Finally, Shüller stopped in the middle of a small park and Hiloria slowed warily as he turned to face her, face gleeful.

"I am so glad you could join us, _meat_." Shüller said with a smile. Hiloria sighed mentally when three other forms in Templar armor appeared out of concealed positions around her. A trap. How the hell had he set a trap for her?

"You would kill everything on this planet in your need to win." Hiloria said quietly as she readied herself.

None of the other three moved with confidence. They looked shorter than Hiloria expected. From their movements, they were less experienced or not wishing to draw her attention? Either way, she had a chance, if a slim one. Four to one was not good odds, but she was not a Templar. She reached out with her mind in two directions at once. One of the closing forms was clasped into a blue bubble as another rose into the air, clawing at his helmet. The young human was terrified as Hiloria bashed his mind into submission. His terror sang to her and… Wait... He was only _fourteen_! This was his _first_ mission! He was babbling in his mind about failing so badly on his first mission.

Hiloria shook her head and slammed the young Templar into unconsciousness. The other one that was mobile beside Shüller froze as Hiloria looked at her.

"I cannot say I am surprised, Shüller." Hiloria said sadly. "What did you _offer_ these kids? Glory? Honor? Power? Child, this is not the way." She shook her head as Shüller snarled at her. "This man is an animal. A sick, dangerous _animal_. He will use you to weaken me and then throw you away. He has no loyalty to anything but his own need for vengeance. Geist is no saint, but he would not have had anything to do with this. You are in the middle of a _city center_ , kid. Did he tell you the escape plan? Does he _have_ one?"

"He said it was secret." The girl in front of her said weakly. "He said he couldn't tell me."

"Of course, he was not going tell you that you are _cannon fodder_." Hiloria shook her head. The girl sidled a little away from Shüller who was shaking his head. "Stand down, kid. My battle is only with- NO!" Hiloria screamed as Shüller lashed out, sending the girl sprawling. From how she lay? She was not going to rise.

He spun back to Hiloria, but she was on him, blades flashing. She could hear Advent transports closing in. If she could just hold him long enough… Maybe the Warlock…

Shüller connected with a full strike that sent pain through every fiber of Hiloria's mind. She collapsed to her knees but smiled as music sounded within her. He cackled in triumph, but then he stared as she rose, golden power flaring around her. Her pain vanished as if it had never been and her body sang with energy as she mouthed words. Then she was singing.

 **'When I am down, and, oh, my soul, so weary**  
 **When troubles come, and my heart burdened be**  
 **Then, I am still and wait here in the silence**  
 **Until you come and sit awhile with me.'**

Shüller threw electricity at her and it did _nothing_ as she raised her face to the heavens and sang louder. They had an audience. Advent troops of various kinds were pouring into the park now and the Warlock was running towards them, his limbs blurring. Then the Chosen, the Elder's _champion_ , froze in as she hit the final chorus and her feet touched the ground. Had she been floating? None of the Advent troops fired. One was carrying Greta's still form.

 **'You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains**  
 **You raise me up to walk on stormy seas**  
 **I am strong when I am on your shoulders**  
 **You raise me up to more than I can be**

 **You raise me up to more than I can be'**

When she finished, there was utter silence in the park. No one seemed to be _breathing_ as Hiloria gave herself a shake. Everyone was staring Hiloria as she extended her blades again and took a step towards the Templar.

"You will _not_ use me to kill all life on this planet, Maric Shüller." Hiloria said flatly as she took another step towards him. "I will not let you slay any more children. You hurt and hurt, you kill and kill. No _more!_ " She grated out the words. "Your evil _ends **now**!_"

She broke into a run. He was in motion as she was. They met in a titanic clash of psionic energy that bowled several of the closest Advent Troopers right off their feet. She _was_ faster than him. For every blow he connected with, she hit him with _two_. Agony piled atop of agony as she tore into her hated foe. She ignored it. Ignored _everything_ but the need to stop the madman from hurting anyone else. The music soared in her and she was part of it, a holy warrior bent on protecting the innocent.

"Stop." The command burned into her mind. The Warlock sounded annoyed now. "He is mine!"

A purple shield snapped into being between Hiloria and the now staggering Templar. Hiloria dared a glance at the Warlock who looked decidedly annoyed. She jerked as the other emotion on his face made sense. Avarice. He knew! He _knew_ about Shüller's weapon! How did he _know?_

"Chosen, no." Hiloria pleaded. "He is too dangerous. _It_ is too dangerous! Please! Let me end this! We can end the threat here and now!" A blow of purple energy flew at her. It would have sent her sprawling less than a day before. Now, she absorbed part of it and let the rest pass instead of fighting it and stayed on her feet. She shook her head as _everyone_ stared at her in shock. "I cannot allow this, Chosen." Hiloria said sadly.

"You have no choice." The Chosen declared as he raised hands lined with purple fire.

"There are _always_ choices!" Hiloria snapped right back, her blades up as the Warlock cast energy at her. The blast of mental energy would have likely slain a Sectoid outright, but Hiloria deflected it and it flew to explode far above the park. "You are as mad as _he_ … _is_..."

Horror flew through Hiloria as Shüller laughed. He backed away from the shield and then took to his heels. She couldn't look away from the Chosen who was glaring at her now. She shook her head slowly.

"Beware, Chosen." Hiloria said quietly as she sent energy to clasp Greta's still form as well as the three young Templars. She was not going to leave _anyone_ in his care, dead or alive. She jerked as a Spectre appeared beside her, but it formed into Lini who was also glaring at the Chosen. Her energy encompassed the Spectre as well."That way lies death and damnation. Nothing more."

She started a hymn of praise to the Elders and more than one of the Troopers was singing with her as she gathered power and teleported all of them to the Lady's sanctum. She finished her hymn with more haste than decorum. Then she apologized to the Lady mentally, sending a pulse of explanation. The Lady responded just as swiftly with reassurance and worry for the young warriors that Shüller had hurt. The one that Hiloria had put into stasis was free now and was staring around wildly.

"Don't move." She warned the conscious Templar who had jerked. "After all of that, I do not want to kill you but I will if I must." She reached out with her mind and tore the gauntlets from his wrists. "I think _Geist_ will have more words for you than I ever could anyway." She tore his helmet off and he was younger than the other had been. Maybe twelve!

"Mina..." The boy cried as he knelt beside the human who would never rise again. "What did you do?" He demanded.

"I did not." Hiloria said sadly as she checked Greta. "I tried to convince her that Shüller was using you three and would throw you away once he had what he wanted. I was getting through to her and then he killed her."

"There is hope." A new voice sounded and Hiloria straightened as a pair of humans in armor stepped forward, aiming at the three Templars. Another aimed at Lini who hadn't moved from Greta's side. "We will get her to the doc."

Indeed, Hiloria felt hope flare. Doctor Cooper had brought back the dead before. Maybe. The reports had been vague.

"Be careful." Hiloria said quickly. "Shüller is evil. He is not stupid. And the Warlock… I do not understand. He _hates_ Shüller."

"He was there." Greta's soft, hurting voice silenced everything. A medic started scanning Greta, whistling in awe at whatever he found. "He was there when Shüller attacked me. He was just _standing there_. Hiloria..." She begged as Holira went to her knees beside the sorely hurt human. "I am sorry. I was bait for a trap and I let you walk right into it."

"It is all right. You are alive. _We_ are alive. You do what the docs say, okay?" Hiloria said gently as she touched Greta's shoulder. "Lini? Stay with her. Obey the Lady." This was command and the Spectre nodded. "Is Sofia…?"

"We sedated her. She was distraught." Milodi stepped into view, her hand over her mouth as she took in the scene. "Oh, Sister..."

"My choices are getting fewer and fewer, Sister." Hiloria rose with a groan. "I saw the Warlock's face. He wants the weapon."

"One of the _Chosen_?" Milodi paled and Hiloria nodded. "Oh, sister! What can we do?"

"X-Com wants the weapon. The Templars want the weapon. Now, the _Warlock_ wants the weapon." Hiloria slumped. "The Reapers or Betos' people will likely kill me if I show my face." She shook her head. "There is only _one_ possibility and it is a very slim one."

"What?" Milodi demanded as Hiloria gave herself shake. "You cannot go to the Elders. How do you counter a _Chosen_ without the Elders?"

"With _another_ Chosen."

* * *

 **Tune was Josh Groban's version of ' You raise me up' watch?v=aJxrX42WcjQ**


	16. Chapter 16

**Song**

"This is a _bad_ idea." Hiloria had been trying for an hour to get Milodi to let her do this alone.

"We have been over this." Milodi replied with a calm that she couldn't possibly be feeling as the pair of Priests strode towards the Advent compound. One that Hiloria had never actually seen. She hadn't been in any condition to see anything when she had been a 'guest' here. Both wore full Priest armor, for all the good that would do against who they were here to see. "Either she kills us or she doesn't."

"She can and will _hurt_ you, Milodi." Hiloria said sadly. "She can do it without thought. Please let me do this alone!"

"No." Milodi replied as the guards ahead saw them and stared. It wasn't every day they saw Priest walking up a road towards a highly secure detention facility. When they got a scan on Hiloria's wrists, they would freak. "You are not alone, sister. You think you have to do it alone, but you don't."

"I do not wish to watch you die, Milodi." Hiloria begged.

"You think _I_ want to watch you die or hear about you falling to a trigger-happy Trooper?" Milodi demanded. "No. I am here. We deal with it together."

Milodi stopped walking as Hiloria did. The guards ahead were not looking at them! They were looking _behind_ them!

"Do _not_ move." Hiloria commanded. She held her hands out wide. "We are not here to fight."

"I admit to surprise." The female Chosen's calm voice came from behind her and something scraped across the back plate of Hiloria's armor. It took _no_ imagination to know what it was. A sword point. "I can count the number of beings who have escaped my custody on one hand. I have _never_ had one return of her own accord."

"This is not by my wish, Chosen." Hiloria said with a frown. "I told you more than I should have about the situation."

"I didn't give you a choice. Even with that, you fought hard and well to keep me out of your mind." The Chosen sounded respectful and Milodi stared at Hiloria, wide-eyed. For her part, Hiloria shrugged.

"She is my daughter, Chosen. I had no choice but to resist." Hiloria sighed. "As much as I am fond of saying there are always choices..." She broke off as the Chosen chuckled.

"Ah yes. Sometimes the only alternatives are far worse." The Chosen agreed and then stepped around in front of the pair of still Priests. Her sword was in hand and her eyes were hard. "You betrayed the Elders."

"No, we did not." Hiloria replied, meeting the Chosen's eyes calmly.

"You _dare_ to contradict me?" The Chosen raised her sword but Hiloria did not move.

"When you are wrong? Yes. You do not have all the facts, Chosen." Hiloria replied, not moving at all. The Chosen stared at her and then at Milodi who did not react. "Do you want them? If not, strike me down."

"You are not the same being I interrogated." The Chosen seemed thoughtful. "Are you not afraid?"

"Of course I am afraid." Hiloria replied with a nod. "All living things fear death. You can end my life or my companion's with a thought or the least flick of your sword." Her eyes flicked to the bare sword in the Chosen's hands, but the rest of her expression did not waver. "But my options are few now and my time grows short. I have already broken the oath I made to the Elders not to speak of the problem you tore from my mind. An evil human is trying to build a doomsday weapon using flesh from my body, alive or dead." At that, the Chosen stared at her, but did not react otherwise. Hiloria shrugged. "If that is cause for you to end my life, so be it."

"You understand honor." The Chosen said slowly, her face still passive. She looked at Milodi. "Does your companion?" Before Hiloria could speak, Milodi did.

"May I sing, Chosen?" Milodi asked quietly. The Chosen stared at her and then nodded once. Milodi took a deep breath and spoke. "This tune, I learned from a human. He was a very strange man. A very old man who was brought into a critical care center where I was working. They did what they could for him, but there is no cure for such age in humans. He was well over a hundred Earth years old and very sick. He was not a violent sort. He called himself a Bard, a singer, and I gravitated to him to listen to his songs. It was very sad day when he passed, when his tunes went forever silent. He said this tune had never been written down, simply passed on in oral tradition. I am not sure I believed him, humans are what they are." She smiled and wonder of wonder, the Chosen returned it. "It is called 'Born on the Listfield'."

She opened her mouth and started to sing. Hiloria stiffened. She had never heard this song from Milodi, but she fell in love with it instantly. As soon as Milodi began the second verse, Hiloria was humming along with it. The Chosen just listened as Milodi continued to sing. Milodi was crying as she finished the tune and then nodded to the Chosen who nodded back.

"I will never write the words down." Milodi said softly as the Chosen stared at her. "The Bard who taught it to me said the writer of the song had wished it passed on in oral tradition. He was proud when I sang it to him and promised to carry on his tradition. That was the day before he died. I will never write it down."

"You do know honor." The Chosen's voice was husky. Was she… Was that a tear that fell? Neither priest commented. "Come. This conversation is not to be public."

She started off, away from the facility. Hiloria and Milodi followed. Both gasped as purple energy swept them up and carried them away. When they could see again, they stood in a high arched room filled with golden walls and a large purple rectangle thing hovering in the distance. The Chosen Assassin nodded to them and sat.

"My name is Kon-Mai Vallinor, Chosen of the Elders. Called 'Wraithblade' by my enemies." The Assassin said formally. "What would you have of me?"

Hiloria and Milodi looked at one another. Then Hiloria slowly stepped forward and went to one knee, extending her hands to the Chosen, showing the Assassin her gauntlets. The Chosen looked at her and then took Hiloria's hands in oddly gentle fingers to examine the gauntlets.

"These are not of Elder manufacture." The assassin said slowly after a moment. "And while they appear similar to Templar weapons, they do not feel the same. I have fought enough Templars to know their psionics." Hiloria shook her head. "Who made these?"

"I did." Hiloria said quietly. "To fight an evil Templar."

The Chosen stared at her and then waved to the side. A training dummy appeared in a flash of purple energy. Milodi hissed, but Hiloria nodded.

"Hiloria..." Milodi sad weakly.

"My own stubbornness hurt me, Milodi." Hiloria said with a shrug as she rose and turned to the dummy. Then she paused, eyeing the Chosen. "Chosen, you may wish to step back."

"I will take my chances." The Chosen said as she eyed Hiloira. Milodi _did_ step back, her hands coming up as she prayed to the Elders. Old habits died hard.

Hiloria focused herself and focused on the music that writhed deep inside her mind. She let a song flow through her and then lashed out as the words tore from her.

' **Revvin' up your engine  
Listen to her howlin' roar  
Metal under tension  
Beggin' you to touch and go**

 **Highway to the danger zone  
Ride into the danger zone'**

She hit the dummy again and again and again as the chorus ripped through her. She was only halfway through the song when the dummy gave up and flew apart into pieces. She retreated a step and started to dance, focusing fully on her words and on her steps. She had to release the energy or it would kill her, but she didn't have to hit things.

' **You'll never say hello to you  
Until you get it on the red line overload  
You'll never know what you can do  
Until you get it up as high as you can go!'**

A voice joined the chorus with her. When she looked up, the Chosen was _dancing_ with her, close enough to touch. She held no weapon, but her face was alight with glee as she matched Hiloria move for move and word for word. For her part, Hiloria just smiled as the song continued.

' **Highway to the danger zone  
Right into the danger zone'**

The final word soared out through her and she slumped as the resonance released her. She smiled at the Chosen and then bowed. Milodi was staring at the both of them, wide eyed. Then she clapped with a huge smile.

"That power is not yours." The Chosen said while Hiloria caught her breath. Hiloria shook her head. "That was too much power for any mortal to hold."

"It has nearly killed me several times." Hiloria admitted. "Chosen, I must speak of this. I faced my enemy in battle and I might have defeated him..." She broke off as the Assassin stared at her. "Except..." She was suddenly reluctant to say it. "I was stopped. Another sought to take my enemy and use a horrific weapon of his design for his own purposes." The assassin hissed and Hiloria nodded. "The weapon you believed I was hiding from you."

"Your daughter or no, the Elders still believe her a weapon." The assassin replied, her face shut.

"You just _felt_ the weapon that will kill off all life on this planet when it is activated, fifteen years from now. The pulse is traveling in time. I can sense it and so can others. I am apparently the only one who can touch it and only very carefully." Hiloria replied, just as calm. "The madman who did it exists now and through an unfortunate series of events, he understands that it is _possible_ now. I do not know if he believes it will kill all _but_ humans, or maybe he simply does not care. He has stated twice that he will use my flesh, from me or my corpse or a clone, to power the device. I almost had him, Chosen. I had him in my _grasp!_ " She was all but sobbing now.

"Who stopped you?" The assassin demanded. "Why come to… _me…_?" She broke off and hissed. "No!" She inhaled sharply as Hiloria nodded..

"Yes, Chosen. One of your colleagues stopped me." Hiloria bowed her head. "One of your colleagues conspired with him to trap me. I barely escaped."

"As much as I denigrate them, the other Chosen are not _stupid_." The Assassin said slowly. "The Elders will not stand for such."

"And if he believes he can focus it? Defeat X-Com with it?" Milodi asked quietly. The others looked at her and she frowned. "You and I have felt the resonance, Chosen. Has he?" She asked Hiloria who paused and thought hard.

"He heard me singing." Hiloria said finally. "I do not know if he felt the resonance. If he did… I saw his face. He wanted what Shüller had, he did not want the man dead. If he felt the resonance, he probably wants it."

"Understandable. _I_ want it." The Assassin shrugged as Hiloria stared at her. "But _I_ know better than to _play_ with some things. A temporal psionic resonance that can fry me effortlessly would make a poor plaything. An indiscriminate weapon. There is no honor in killing noncombatants simply because you _can_."

"You have no idea how happy I am to her you say that, Chosen." Hiloria said weakly. She paused as the Elder's assassin held up a hand. "Chosen?"

"If the Elders commanded me to take you, I would have to obey." The Chosen said quietly. Hiloria nodded. "Would you resist?"

"You tell me." Hiloria snapped. Milodi looked ashen, but the Chosen nodded.

"I will. You are not just protecting your daughter now." The Chosen mused. "You are protecting everything, including my life and my colleagues' lives. You would fight with every fiber of your being. You saw the results." Hiloria nodded, silent. "The Elders?" Hiloria shook her head. "Oh." She was stunned when the Chosen laid a hand on her shoulder. Just a gentle touch. "You reached for them, didn't you? There?"

" _THERE WAS NOTHING THERE!_ " Hiloria screamed and then clamped her hands over her mouth in shock and fear. Milodi's face was pale.

"And that hurt you more than anything else ever had." The Chosen said quietly, not at all put off by Hiloria's outburst. Hiloria nodded, her eyes burning. "Suddenly, you were alone in your mind. The music took you there, didn't it?"

It wasn't really a question. Hiloria stared at her, uncomprehending.

"That was the first time, yes." Hiloria admitted. "I went there and everything was wrong and bad and evil and I just… I have to stop it if I can."

"What haven't you told me?" The Chosen demanded suddenly, retracting her hand.

" _I_ will build the device. Fifteen years from now, the Elders will command _me_ to create a means of spreading their word." Hiloria said quietly. "I will use music to make it. Human music. They will command me to use it in ways that I find repugnant. To use it to warp minds in ways that will not be sustainable. It will not work that way, so I will refuse." Milodi gasped, but the Chosen did not react. "They will bend me to their will and I will alter the device. Shortly before I can activate it, two Templars will attack me, capture me and change the device to affect beings other than humans. Before _they_ can activate it, my daughter will kill the human responsible for ripping my legs off and then killing me some time later. A fail-safe will activate and the weapon will discharge indiscriminately. A psionic residue of me will send my daughter, a repentant Templar and a Spectre back in time moments before the device activates to try to stop it from happening."

She met the Chosen's eyes and nodded when the blue skinned alien shook her head.

"So you admit you are a traitor." The Assassin mused.

"I have broken my word to the Elders, yes. In the future I will again. And there will be no point in it, since I will die shortly afterwards." Hiloria replied. "But the Elders do not want to be extinguished any more than we do. If we all die, who faces the true enemy when they arrive?"

"What do you know of that?" The Assassin demanded, hand on her sword hilt.

"Very little." Hiloria admitted. "But if the Elders wanted to destroy humanity, they _would_ have. We both know that, Chosen. They do not. They want humanity to be _ready_ for whatever is coming."

" _I_ cannot speak of that." The Assassin said flatly. "But this… This resonance… You truly believe it is that dangerous."

"You felt it, Chosen. Tell me it is _not_." Hiloria begged. "Tell me you can kill me, right here, right now and not have the potential of wiping out _everything_!" She slumped when the Chosen looked away. "I… I wish… I did not want this. I wanted to serve the Elders. I was _happy_ doing that!" She fell to her knees, crying. "I was happy. I belonged. I had purpose. Now? I am responsible for this, Chosen. I _caused_ this!" She cried.

"No." The Chosen laid her hand on Hiloria's shoulder and wonder of wonders, her voice turned kind! "No, Hiloria Mox. That responsibility lies with the Elders of that time, not you. The you of that time obeyed their commands even as insane as they were. You had no choice, you did as instructed. What happened is _their_ responsibility and the responsibility of the ones who corrupted your device, not you. We both know the Elders are not perfect."

"I _want_ them to be." Hiloria sobbed. "I want things to be simple and they are _not._ " Milodi stepped forward and laid her hand on Hiloria's other shoulder. The Chosen nodded to her. "I never _asked_ for this!"

"And that makes you worthy of it. If you _wanted_ such power, despite the risks, I would slay you where you stood without hesitation. Only a _fool_ desires such." The Chosen sighed deeply. "This is a mess and no mistake."

"What can we do, Chosen?" Hiloria begged. "I cannot fight one of you _and_ Shüller. I know my limits."

"Wise." The Assassin shook her head and then took a deep breath. "I will return you to where you came from. Then I will go have talk with my colleagues and the Elders. It was the one commonly called 'Warlock', wasn't it?"

"Yes, Chosen." Hiloria said weakly.

"I do not know what the Elders will say, Hiloria Mox." The Assassin said quietly. "But I do know they like existing as much as the rest of us. I will tell them everything you told me. They may order me to come after you."

"If you do..." Hiloria met the blue skinned being's eyes calmly. "Do not leave a body." Milodi gasped and Hiloria shook her head. "Milodi, _think_! If Shüller can use my flesh, we must deny him that. If he makes a clone or the Elders do, it too must be destroyed."

"I… I know." Milodi was crying softly. "But sister..."

"No 'Buts'." Hiloria said firmly as she controlled her emotions and rose to her feet. "We are talking about the extinction of all life on _this planet_. My life is _meaningless._ "

"It means something to me." Milodi said weakly.

"And to me." The Chosen nodded as both priests stared at her. "There are few that understand honor in this world we inhabit. For most, survival will always be more important than morals. But not you. That is worth of respect." She _bowed_ to Hiloria who returned it.

She raised her hand and purple energy swept Hiloria and Milodi away. They found themselves back on the road to the detention facility. It was still dark and both of them turned to go without a word. Then Milodi screamed as something tore out of the night to strike her in the chest. She was pulled away even as Hiloria reached for her.

"You keep hurting her." Hiloria said softly as she spun and saw what she expected. Pratal Mox lowered Milodi's limp form to the ground. She was bleeding and unconscious, but still breathing. "Hurting my friend is a very _bad_ idea, Pratal Mox."

"We just want to talk, Hiloria Mox." Kriso stepped out of the woods, half a dozen other hybrids surrounding Hiloria as she readied her blades. All were armed and armored. Their weapons were up, but not aimed.

"Yeah." Hiloria scoffed. "Like you did _before_." She stilled as another shadow came alive and _Betos_ knelt beside Milodi, tending her wounds.

"We were wrong." Betos said quietly. "We know it now."

"And I should just _trust_." Hiloria snarled as she gathered her power.

"No." Betos did not react. "Pratal?"

"Yes, Betos." Pratal Mox slowly knelt and laid his rifle down. He knelt and bowed his head.

"Forgive me, sister."

* * *

 **Born on the Listfield by Ivar Battleskald **

**Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins**


	17. Chapter 17

**Standing**

"You really expect me to believe _anything_ that _any_ of you say?" Hiloria snarled that at Kriso who stood by a tree, face impassive. "You _lie._ It is what you _do!_ "

"Sister..." Pratal started, only to stop as Hiloria snarled.

"You _have_ no sister, Pratal Mox." Hiloria fought hard to keep her voice level. It was hard with Betos right on top of Milodi, even tending the stricken Priest's wounds as she seemed to be. "You hurt my friends! I do not know you!"

"This is not a safe place to have this discussion." Kriso warned. "We need to go."

"So you put me back in a _cell_? Hiloria demanded. "Chained to the _floor_ again?"

"That was a mistake and we admit it." Betos said softly. "Hiloria Mox, please. We need you. No! Don't!"

Hiloria activated her blades, but then everything went wrong. Hiloria's shoulder hurt and she was suddenly face down on the ground. She rolled onto her left side. Her right shoulder wasn't working right. Her brain was fuzzy, her vision wavering.

A figure out of nightmare appeared in her vision. The gas masked woman was reaching for her. Hiloria had to fight! She had to get away! She was trying to activate her left hand blade when the woman touched her and everything went away.

She was being carried.

No, she was on something soft and human shaped forms in green were moving around her.

No, she was retching as something burned her throat and someone was holding her as she sobbed.

No, she was lying on her stomach as someone did something to her right shoulder that burned like fire. She could not see. She could not move. She could not even scream as agony tore through her whole body from her shoulder.

No, she was...

* * *

Hiloria jerked awake with a cry of alarm. She tried to roll off of whatever she was on and screamed as her right shoulder protested. Severely.

"Do not move!" A sharp female voice sounded from close at hand and Hiloria snarled at the voice, trying to get up. "What part of 'do not move' do you not understand?" The other demanded. "You are hurt. Your shoulder is damaged."

" _So?_ " Hiloria snapped, anger rising. "Just kill me! I will not help you idiots be even more stupid!" Her shoulder screamed in protest as she yanked it away from whatever she was lying on. She used the pain to force herself upright.

"Hiloria Mox, you are hurt very badly!" The other sounded just as angry.

" _ **So?**_ " _This_ time, Hiloria screamed the word. "What else is new? Hurting me is what people do! That is _all_ they do! All they know. I _exist_ for people to hurt!" Something fell off her face and bright light seared her eyes as hands grabbed her, trying to hold her down. She fought them with her left hand. "Let! Me! _GO!_ "

Then a hand touched her head.

 _Sleep._ The word seared through her and she fought it with every fiber of her being. It frayed and then flared into nothing in the wake of her ire.

"Holy shit!" A stunned female voice sounded from behind Hiloria as she growled and twisted in the grip of whoever held her. "She _cannot_ still be awake!"

"Well, she _is!_ " The female voice of whoever was holding her snapped. "Hazard, _do_ something! She will hurt herself! Or us!"

"Hiloria Mox, stand down." That was Colonel Jane Kelly. Hiloria ignored her, twisting, fighting, trying to bite even as her eyes watered from the bright lights. She saw blurs in front of her, and then an iron grip took hold of her jaw and turned it so she saw another blur. "I said 'stand down'. Don't make me hurt you."

"Hurting people is _what you do!_ " Hiloria screamed as the stream of agony in her shoulder became a torrent. She was still trying to buck off the hands that held her, more than one set now.

"Shogun! She will tear the repairs!" The first woman cried in desperation.

The grip on Hiloria's jaw shifted and then it was clamped on her neck. She felt faint immediately. The blood flow to her brain was being cut off! She fought anyway even as her muscles turned to jelly.

"Hate! You!" Hiloria managed to grate out as the word from before swept through her again.

 _Sleep._ This time, she could not fight it. On the edge of unconscious, she heard the Colonel sigh.

"I deserve it."

Then she knew no more.

* * *

An indeterminate time later

Hiloria was fuzzy when she woke. Everything felt distant. She opened her eyes but saw only blackness. They were covered. She was calm, but it was imposed. She knew she was angry beyond belief, but she wasn't the only one!

"Of all the stupid, pig headed, idiotic, _shit for brains_ plans..." Colonel Kelly was on a roll. "What the _hell_ were you people _thinking_? That after all of that, she would just _accept_ you? You _moron!_ "

"I had to apologize." Pratal Mox sounded firm, but sad.

"You _ripjacked_ her _best friend!_ " Colonel Kelly snapped. "How did you _think_ she was going to react? _Especially_ after what you _geniuses_ did before?" She growled, a sound more like a Muton than many Mutons Hiloria had met. "Get out before she regains consciousness."

"Too late, Colonel." A voice Hiloria sort of remembered spoke up and a hand touched her brow. The sounds of boots came and then a door hissed. "She is hot. Is that normal?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Hazard. I don't know." Colonel Kelly sounded odd. Scared? Resigned? "None of the docs have a clue. Betos' idea of medical care leaves a lot to be desired. Her people generally heal on their own or they die." Why did she sound sick all of a sudden? "She offered, but I think we can do better. I hope we can. Can she hear me?"

"Yes." The other -Hazard- said quietly. "She is very angry, but the sedatives are holding her. For the moment. It won't last." She warned.

"Right. First, an apology. Hiloria Mox, I am sorry. I fucked up." Hiloria felt amazement as the cold, hard woman she sort of knew sighed deeply. "You begged me for help, Hiloria Mox. I didn't have a _clue_ what to do. What to say. People don't beg _me_ for help, you silly Priest. I go where I am told, I do what I am told and try to keep my people alive doing it. That is all." Kelly took a deep breath. "So, I fell back on what I know. You are enemy, you need to be taken prisoner and interrogated. I didn't even stop to _wonder_ how you had gotten into the sealed hangar bay until you teleported out." She snickered little. "And yes, those techs _did_ need to change their pants."

"Don't be mean, Jane." The other woman said quietly. "Except to _me_." What was in that tone? Hiloria had no idea except it wasn't normal human conversation. It seemed a bit sultry.

"I am scared, Jenni." Those quiet words shocked Hiloria more than anything else had. "You heard what Syndrome said he sensed in her. Before he dove into his latest bottle of rotgut."

"I can feel it too, Jane." The other was just as worried. "I can't feel as strongly as he can, but... Oh my god, Jane... I know how you feel. It is terrifying being so out of control."

"Yeah." The Colonel sounded subdued now. "Anyway... Hiloria. The docs are hopeful with you. The bullet that hit you did not work as designed. It was supposed to burst on impact, stunning you and releasing a gas that would leave you dazed. It didn't burst. It hit you exactly where the shooter intended, but it didn't burst. The gas trickled out and the whiff you got _did_ daze you, but no more. The impact of the intact bullet tore muscles in your shoulder and wrenched a nerve. That is why you are in pain. The docs are working on fixing that."

 _Milodi..._ Hiloria begged in her mind, unable to articulate.

"She is asking about her friend, Jane." The other woman said in a sad voice. "She is really worried about the one named Milodi."

"Yeah. After what Betos did to them? Small _wonder_ she reacted badly enough that Outrider shot her." A hand touched her left hand and then it took her hand in an oddly hesitant grip. "There is no easy way to say this, Hiloria. Your friend is alive, but she lost her right arm."

Hiloria felt shock flare through her, but not at the words. The future she had seen was coming true! She _had_ to stop it! She... She was shivering now. Why was she so cold? She felt power flare and could do nothing to stop it.

"Jane!" The other said in alarm.

"I see it, Jenni! Get the docs!" The Colonel snapped and booted feet ran. "You need to sing, Hiloria! You need to sing _now_! Damn, I cannot take the tube out! I don't know how! What did he say? What the _hell_ did he say? I don't... Oh crap... You are going to hate this, but... Sing with me."

Hiloria was stunned when the woman started to sing. Colonel Kelly's voice was rough, burnt almost beyond recognition from far too long shouting across raging battlefields. But the words... Hiloria knew the words. She knew them in _this_ time. It was one of Milodi's favorite tunes.

 **'Tis the gift to be simple  
'Tis the gift to be free  
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be  
And when we find ourselves in the place just right  
It will be in the valley of love and delight**

Hiloria opened her mouth, but words would not come out. She hummed the harmony instead as the Colonel sang. It worked. The power faded and her skin was suddenly warmer. She basked in the feeling as the Colonel continued to sing and she provided the harmony.

 **When true simplicity is gained  
To bow and to bend, we will not be ashamed  
To turn, turn, will be our delight  
'Til by turning, turning, we come round right**

Whatever had been covering Hiloria's eyes was removed and she stared up into Colonel Kelly's anxious face. She glowed golden in Hiloria's sight and relaxed as she saw Hiloria looking at her.

"You tell _anyone_ what I just did and I _will_ hurt you." The Colonel promised in a tone of iron. Hiloria made a face and shrugged. She gaped as pain tore through her right shoulder. "Damn, no! Don't move that shoulder!"

Hiloria reached up slowly with the other hand that the Colonel held and felt a tube going into her mouth. She mimed sealing her lips and smiled around the tube as the Colonel relaxed further.

"Smart Priest." The Colonel smiled at her and Hiloria felt a great weight leave as her anger faded.

She was relaxed as docs bustled in. She was going to be okay. The future was coming, but she could fight it and would.

* * *

An hour later

Hiloria sat beside Milodi's bed, watching her friend sleep. She hadn't been capable of moving very far, but wherever she was, they didn't have a lot of space. She heard rumbles in the near distance. Engines? The docs hadn't wanted her to get out of the bed, but with the assistance of Colonel Jane Kelly and her partner, Jenni 'Hazard' Parker, Hiloria had managed to get her arm into a sling and then to stagger the few steps to this recovery cubicle where she sat and stared. Milodi looked so peaceful in sleep, but her body was all wrong without the arm. It _was_ the arm she had seen as a prosthetic in the horrible future vision.

It was happening now. The horror wasn't happening in fifteen years. It was happening _now!_

"Are you all right?" Jenni asked from where she stood near one wall. Colonel Kelly stood beside her, armed and armored, but relaxed.

"It is happening." Hiloria said sadly. "In the dreadful future I saw, Milodi had lost an arm. The same arm." She nodded to the sleeping Priest.

"Oh shit." Colonel Kelly shook her head. "What can _I_ do? You asked my help, but... I am no psi and people _run_ from my singing voice." Hiloria kept her face neutral as the Colonel glared at her.

"That might be more your choice of _tunes_ , Shogun." The psi beside her snickered with a smirk as Colonel Kelly swatted at her. Hiloria shook her head at the banter. It was easy to see these two liked each other and maybe more. She was in no position to judge. "What else can you tell us about that future?"

"Not a lot." Hiloria admitted. "I was stressed and then I was hurt. When I tried to mind control a Lost, it hit me with some kind of feedback. I was told that was an ability they spawned after the event. The people I was with were running from them and a group of semi-sentient psionic residues they called 'The Damned.'"

"'The Lost' and 'The Damned'?" The Colonel shook her head. "Poetic."

"Yeah." Hiloria took a deep breath and continued. "You were there but it was not _you_. Not as you are. You were more machine than woman. Still a bad-ass though." She smiled weakly but her smile faded as Jenni inhaled in fear and shock.

"Some things not even an _apocalypse_ can change." Jenni quipped weakly, her face pale. "Jane..."

"I know. You say the only way you will leave my side is if you die. But… Danger is our life, Jenni." Jane laid a hand on Jenni's, her face suddenly tender. "I treasure what we have, but the job comes first. You know that." Jenni grabbed her hand in a white knuckled grip.

"I do." Jenni slumped. "But I do not have to _like_ it!"

"Only a fool likes such things." Hiloria said quietly, laying her hand on Milodi's sole remaining one. "I do not feel for Milodi what you feel for each other, but it does not matter. It is still feeling and it is all that separates us from animals. Animals can love, but we think. We feel. We think about our feelings." She smiled as Colonel Kelly groaned and Jenni grinned.

"Don't _encourage_ her!" The older warrior said weakly. "The last time someone encouraged her, she got hold of some… um..." She broke off as Hiloria looked interested. "You know? Never mind."

"But you _liked_ the leopard print on the-" Jenni gave a squeak as Colonel Kelly slapped a hand over her mouth.

"We all know you are incorrigible, Jenni." Jane Kelly said with a growl. "You do not need to _prove_ it to everyone over and over."

 _I_ _sn't i_ _t fun watching her squirm?_ Jenni sent to Hiloria who fought hard to keep from laughing as the Colonel glared at Jenni and then at her.

"Talking behind my back is not nice, Jenni." Jane declared, her hand swatting Jenni's rump. The psi operative gave a squeak and then she sobered.

"What did you want from us?" Jenni asked, all play gone. "Obviously, you thought Jane here could do _something_ besides act menacingly-like."

"Menacingly- _like_?" Jane queried, shaking her head. "Geez, Jenni. You still mangle the English language." Hiloria _had_ to smile at the look the pair shared. "I know you speak that weird dialect called American, so don't bother saying it."

"Party pooper." Jenni smirked as Hiloria fought a chuckle. Not very hard. "But in all seriousness, why Jane?"

"Because I saw her in the future and I… well, I _heard_ her when she rescued me from the Chosen." Hiloria shook her head. "I did see the end of your fight. _Few_ can stand against a Chosen with a sword." Jane did not react to Hiloria's praise, but Jenni smiled wide. "I hoped you knew a psi who could sense the resonance and tell me a way to stop it."

"This close, I can sense it." Jenni said quietly. " _Stopping_ it? Hiloria… That is power beyond _belief_. Stopping that would be like standing in the way of a planet as it hurtled along its orbit. It isn't going to stop or even _notice_ when you go 'splat'."

"There has to be a way." Hiloria said savagely. "I will not accept that this is immutable. I sent my daughter and two allies back in time to stop this from happening. I will _not_ let it happen."

"You _what?_ " Jenni and Jane chorused.

"When we first encountered Sofia, she had been abused by the humans who had found her." Hiloria said quietly. "I didn't know who she was, or why I was drawn to her. She called me 'Mom' in her sleep. After I had the vision of that horrible future, we gently interrogated her. Very gently." She reassured the others when they tensed. "She was not hurt or even distressed by what happened. I _was_." She shook her head. "I saw myself die in Sofia's memory. The future me managed several flat out impossibilities. One, she kept part of herself stable after death. Two, she sent three beings back in time to stop the mess form happening. Then she talked to _me_."

"You connected to that future self?" Jenni asked, her eyes far away. She might or might not have seen Hiloria's nod, but she continued. "Spoke to it."

"Only a few words." Hiloria said weakly. "I promised to take care of Sofia."

"Then the connection is you." Jenni said slowly. "Or maybe the other three." She blew out a deep breath. "Is there any chance I could meet them? Talk to them? See if _they_ are affected? That would give us more data anyway."

"Maybe." Hiloria winced. "I um… I can ask..."

"From what you have carefully not said." The Colonel said slowly. "Your daughter is not in Advent's care anymore."

"No. She um… fled when the Chosen tried to take her for dissection." Hiloria grimaced and the other shared it.

"Hard to blame her." Jenni had a sick look on her face. "So...she is safe." Hiloria nodded. "Where?"

"I do not know." Hiloria admitted. "I never asked where the safe place was and frankly? The _less_ I know about it, the safer she is considering how many people have imprisoned me and tried to interrogate me recently."

"So… you don't know where the place is, but you know it is safe. Who besides us would be able to keep her safe from the El-ders..." She trailed the last word out and then shook her head. "No! Your daughter went to _her?_ "

"Yeah. I am _not_ going to cross _her_. Advent knows better than to try." Hiloria said with a shake of her head. "I can ask, but that is all I can do. She will want Milodi in her care anyway. She feels for Milodi as much as I do."

"You have _very_ odd friends, Hiloria Mox." Jenni was smiling as Colonel Kelly stared at her. "I hope to be counted among them someday. I would _love_ to talk to her."

"What are you talking about, Jenni?" Jane demanded.

"Doctor Cooper's big yellow friend." Jenni said flatly. Jane's eyes bulged and she inhaled but Jenni shook her head. "She won't trust us, Jane. Not after everything. But I might have an idea of how to fix this. Maybe."

"You _do_?" Hiloria felt hope flare anew. "I will ask." Hiloria shook her head as she stared at Milodi. "She won't be happy."

"Hard to blame her. One of our people killed her once."

"Oh."

* * *

 **' Simple Gifts' by Elder Joseph Bracket.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Trust issues**

Hiloria did not move as the pair of humans armed with odd looking rifles aimed at her and Jenni. The X-Com psi remained still and quiet as another human frisked her and yet another scanned her with an odd looking device. Not that the blue gown Jenni wore was going to hide much of _anything_. Where had she gotten such a thing? Colonel Kelly had not been pleased when Jenni had shown up wearing it, but the psi had been adamant that she had to look nonthreatening. Hiloria wasn't sure, but she was halfway certain that Jenni had wanted to show off. Hiloria had to admit, the human looked stunning in the gown. Even the binders she wore and the full head covering that kept her from seeing or using her psi powers did not detract from her beauty and exotic feel. Hiloria hoped that was enough.

The Lady had not been happy. Not at _all_.

Losing contact with Hiloria and Milodi had been bad. Hiloria calling in telepathically and explaining had sent the Ethereal into a towering rage. Just the feel of the other's mind had terrified Hiloria. The Lady had set up a rendezvous and dictated many things. To their credit, X-Com hadn't as much as quibbled and nothing even hinted at betrayal. Not that it would have been easy to do so, since the very first thing that the Lady had demanded was that Hiloria, Milodi and Jenni be dropped off somewhere fairly special. Colonel Kelly hadn't been happy, but she hadn't argued. That spoke volumes.

Hiloria did not know what the huge tower made of iron that they had been dropped off on was, but Jenni had. The look on the X-Com agent's face when she saw it was pure desolation. Even as a wreck, it stood high and magnificent into the sky, jutting up over a huge city that had once housed millions of humans. The top swayed dangerously in the wind that howled across the ruined city, and the transport pilot who had dropped them off hadn't wanted to leave them. But Hiloria had simply strode out, carrying Milodi's still form. Jenni had followed, her dress billowing in the wind.

Hiloria had set Milodi down and waited, trying to shield her unconscious friend from the wind. Almost an hour later, a sleek silver shape had appeared out of nowhere and a squad of armed humans had jumped out. A pair of medics had taken Milodi. Jenni had not resisted when they had bound her, curbed her powers and blindfolded her. They had scanned Hiloria too, but had not bound her. Then everyone had been bustled into the odd ship and flown here.

Hiloria had no idea how fast the ship could fly. Given that it could _cloak_ , she wasn't about to say it couldn't do _anything_ else. Maybe hyperspace or something. She had no idea if they were in the Lady's sanctuary or not. She did know that Jenni was being incredibly patient with the _fourth_ search she was subjected to, the second since they had arrived here. Wherever here was.

"How is Milodi?" Hiloria asked.

"Stable." One of the guards nodded to her, but did not take his eyes off of Jenni. "The doc is going to try and regrow her arm." Hiloria jerked, she hadn't thought of that. Maybe this wasn't the future that she had seen coming. The guard's next words dashed that hope. "He will do his best, but… He didn't look hopeful."

"I told her not to come with me." Hiloria said sadly. "I _begged_ her not to come with me."

"She has a mind of her own, Hiloria." The hybrid stilled as the Lady swept in, her face veiled as always. Hiloria shook her head and gave a squeak as the Lady embraced her. "No. No, this is not your fault. Did the rest of your trip go well?" She held Hiloria at arms length and scrutinized her. She did not like what she saw, that was clear from her next words. "You look like hell."

"I feel like hell. I explained." Hiloria sighed as she twitched her fingers in the sling she still wore. Her shoulder ached abominably. The docs had wanted her to stay and heal more but she couldn't. Colonel Kelly, Jenni and of all things, the X-Com _Commander_ had all overruled the docs. "She didn't kill me. So I guess I made an impression."

"You generally do." The Lady turned to the guards who nodded and left. She reached out to pull the covering back from Jenni's eyes She left the power blocking device in place. "So… X-Com got off their duffs?"

"You are..." Jenni paused and licked her lips. "Um..."

"Don't do _anything_." Hiloria warned. "Jenni Parker? Meet the Lady. Lady? Jenni Parker, she is an X-Com psi who has theories, but needs more information."

"You wanted to meet Sofia and the others who came with her." The Lady said flatly. Jenni nodded. "They are in a room nearby. I know that blocker cannot stop you completely. I will not leave your side. If you attempt to read anyone's mind without permission, I will hurt you. If you attempt to harm anyone here, I will kill you. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear." Jenni said with a nod. "For what it is worth? I don't blame you."

"Trust is not going to happen, X-Com." The Lady said flatly. "Your kind kill my kind and always have." Jenni bowed her head, but remained silent. "Hiloria, can you walk?"

"To see Sofia? Try and stop me." Hiloria smiled as the Lady chuckled.

"No. I am not that stupid. Come."

Hiloria had never seen this area. The walls were bare metal and hard to tell if they were Earth manufacture or Elder manufacture. Nothing cluttered the hallway and Hiloria could see armed guards at both ends of it. A door hissed open in front of them and Hiloria's heart leaped as she heard Sofia shout in joy.

"Mom!" Sofia ran into view, arms out stretched, but the Lady moved to block her and Sofia paused. "Lady?" Worry and hurt warred in her voice.

"She is hurt, Sofia. Be gentle." The Lady commanded.

Sofia stepped close, her face anxious. Hiloria held out her good hand and Sofia took it in a trembling one. Hiloria pulled her daughter close and Sofia was trembling as she hugged her mom gently. Jenni stared from Hiloria to Sofia and back, her face oddly tender.

"Some of us wondered why you protect them." Jenni said softly as Hiloria held her daughter and Sofia fought hard not to cry. "You act more human than many of us do, Lady." The Ethereal clad in flesh said nothing. "May I touch your daughter, Hiloria Mox?"

Sofia shook her head savagely, burrowed into Hiloria's side.

"Sofia." Hiloria said quietly, but with firm authority. "This is Jenni Parker. She is a psi who works with X-Com. She has some theories about the resonance. We need to stop it, Sofia. Milodi lost her arm. Just like in the horrible vision I saw. It is _happening_." Sofia stared at her, her lower lip trembling. "I am here, girl. You are safe."

"I am scared." Sofia said in a very small voice.

"I am not going to hurt you, Sofia." Jenni said softly. "I wouldn't. Not that I can now. My powers are blocked. I… don't..." She paused. "Lady, do you sense the resonance in Hiloria?" The Lady nodded and made a 'get on with it' gesture. "In Sofia?"

"No." The Lady said slowly. "Why?"

"I don't sense anything in Sofia either." Jenni made a face and then nodded. "If what I fear is true, then the resonance is being pulled to _Hiloria_."

Sofia gasped in fear and hugged her mother tight enough to hurt. Hiloria stared at the psi and then it was too much. She fainted.

* * *

Not very long at all later

"I am _sorry_ …" Sofia was bawling as Hiloria swam back to consciousness. "Mom! No! I am so, so sorry!"

"Sofia, let go!" The Lady commanded. "Let the medic work."

"She is my _Mom_ , Lady!" Sofia all but screamed. "What did I do to her? I tried not to tell her! I really did!"

"You did not do it." Hiloria groaned.

""Don't move." A somewhat familiar voice sounded. One of the Lady's medics and he was not happy. "You landed on your bad arm."

As he spoke, pain tore through Hiloria's arm. She bit back a groan. Sofia was crying. Hiloria had to… She gasped as someone started to sing. Jenni?

 **Hush, little baby, don't say a word.  
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird**

 **And if that mockingbird won't sing,  
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring...**

Hiloria did not know the words. She did not. It wasn't any music she had heard ever before or felt that she knew. Jenni continued to sing. She had a beautiful voice.

 **...And if that dog named Rover won't bark  
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart**

 **And if that horse and cart fall down,  
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.**

There was utter silence when Jenni stopped singing.

"Don't cry, Sofia." Jenni said gently. "It is all right. You didn't do it. I don't think _she_ did it. But if it is being pulled to her, we have a chance."

"Mom?" Sofia begged. Hiloria held out her good hand and small ones grabbed it and held it tight. Hiloria opened her eyes and found the medic kneeling beside her. Sofia was sitting right beside him, her face covered in tears both old and fresh. Jenni knelt nearby, far enough away to be stopped if she did anything, but close enough to comfort.

"I don't know that music." Hiloria said weakly as she closed her eyes to try and hide her pain from Sofia. "It isn't in the resonance. That… I..." She stammered. A human hand took her hurt one gently.

"Sofia is about the age mine would be." Jenni said though a suddenly husky voice.

"Your..." Hiloria's eyes shot open and she struggled to sit up. The medic snarled at her, but then helped her sit. Sofia supported her as well. "Advent?" She begged. Jenni nodded, her eyes glistening. "Oh, Jenni, I am sorry."

"We were not _hostile!_ " Jenni snapped, anger rising, but Hiloria did not retreat. Instead, she gripped Jenni's hand tighter. "We just wanted to survive! They took my little girls and I have no idea what happened to them. X-Com rescued me from a pen but they were gone. And I… I looked, but they were gone. Now? I see you and her? _GOD! IT HURTS!_ " She screamed.

Hiloria did not even think. She pulled Jenni close and held the psi tight as she cried. Then Sofia hugged them both.

"More than one?" Sofia asked in a soft voice. "What were their names?"

"Twin girls. Maya and Mina." Jenni said sadly. "They had my curse. I don't know what became of them. I have looked. Jane and I have _both_ looked. There is _nothing_."

"Jenni, there will be records _somewhere_." Hiloria said firmly. "Maya and Mina?" She repeated the names. "Parker is the family name?" Jenni nodded, face down and tears still streaming. "I give you my word, if we survive this, I will find whatever is there. I _will_." She swore.

"It has been nine _years_." Jenni cried. "They likely won't even _remember_ me."

"You are their mom." Sofia said firmly. "They will remember."

"Thank you." Jenni scrubbed her face with her hand. "I try to be cheerful. I try to be good. It is so hard."

"I know." Hiloria sighed deeply and hugged Jenni again. "The Lady cannot trust you or your organization. I must. This resonance must be stopped."

"I do not know if it _can_ be stopped, Hiloria." Jenni temporized. "Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another. This is all theory, mind you and none of our people have anywhere close to the experience in psi that yours have. That said, I read a lot when I was a kid." Hiloria stared at her and Jenni flushed. "Books were my escape from the horrors of life."

"You too?" Hiloria smiled as Jenni stared at her. "We have more in common than I thought." Jenni smiled at the hybrid through her tears. "We need to figure this out." She tried to rise and the medic held her down effortlessly.

"You are in no shape to go _anywhere_." The medic said flatly. "You are going straight to a bed or the doc is going have my head."

Sofia and Jenni looked at Hiloria and flinched as they saw the bruises that now colored her arms where they had hugged her. Both recoiled, trying not to hurt her further..

"We do not have _time_ for me to recover." Hiloria snapped. "Stand back." She focused herself but Jenni took hold of her arm. "Jenni, back off. I can use power to heal."

"No, Hiloria." Jenni said sternly. "That kind of power is not to be used for just _anything_. If you summon such, it may get used to being summoned." Hiloria stared at her and Jenni grimaced. "Um, the pathways may become ingrained? Permanent? It may be easier and easier for you to summon power until you summon too much by accident."

"And fry." The Lady said dryly. Everyone jumped. They had forgotten she was there. She stood as if somewhere between amusement and anger. Hiloria looked at her and the Lady sighed deeply. "I know what you are going to say. No. I can't let you kill yourself."

"There...may be an alternative." Jenni said slowly. "I was told to quote 'aid in any way needed' unquote. Secrets mean nothing if we all perish. Our docs have created an Elerium powered device they call the 'Hypervital module'."

"What?" Doctor Cooper's voice preceded the doc into view He shooed the medic away and the man retreated a bit warily as Cooper knelt down beside Hiloria and started scanning her. "Hyper- _Vital_ …?" He broke off and hissed. " _No!_ They cannot _do_ that! The side effects..."

"Desperate times, doctor." Jenni said quietly. "It would help."

"What is this?" The Lady asked, concerned as Cooper snarled at Jenni.

"You know that Elerium can do all kinds of things of the radiation is tuned properly." Cooper said savagely. "It is technically possible to _temporarily_..." He heavily emphasized the word. "...revitalize a hurt being. The effects won't last very long. Perhaps a day at absolute most. Then they go right back to being injured and if they are hurt again in between, as is common with the idiots who use weapons? They can _die_ from it."

"What side effects?" Hiloria asked, the pain in her arm and shoulder ebbing as Cooper worked. She smiled in gratitude, but he looked grim.

"Hiloria, Elerium radiation is not safe at the best of times." Cooper said with a growl. "Add to that your overexposure to psionic radiation..." She froze and he nodded. "Yes, you can hide the effects from others but not from _me_." He snapped as Hiloria blanched. Everyone stared at her and she wilted. "She is _seriously_ overexposed. Whatever else she did, she reached her tolerance for psionic energy and pushed right past the breaking point. Hence why she is not healing as she should. The radiation of her own psi powers is killing her slowly."

"No!" Sofia and Jenni spoke as one. Sofia reached for Hiloria, but could not reach her past Cooper. Jenni took hold of her and held her as she cried softly. No one argued.

"Doc!" Hiloria begged as he readied a hypo. "No! I need to fix this!"

"And if you die in the process of stopping it?" Cooper demanded. Sofia gasped and he moderated his tone. "Or worse, die _not_ stopping it? What _then_?"

"You didn't _see_ it, Doc." Hiloria said, fighting tears as he took her arm to inject her. "Every. Living. Thing. _Dead_." She was sobbing as he injected her and warm lassitude swept through her. "I… Doc… _Please_." She begged as comforting darkness took hold of her.

 _Lady… please…_ She pleased in her mind as she fell into an abyss. _I… I cannot… fail…_ _For my sisters! For your people! For humanity and the Elder's people! For everyone! Let me go! I accept it!_ _Live or die, I must do what I can! I am a defender!_

"It is her choice, little one." The Lady was crying softly as Hiloria felt her awareness return. "Who are we to gainsay such love?"

"Lady, _no_!" Cooper was crying too as hands took hold of Hiloria and lifted her.

"It is not our call, little one. I am sorry."

"No greater love..." Jenni sounded in tears too. "Hath a being than she shall lay down her life for her fellow beings." Hiloria turned her head that suddenly weighed tons to the psi and Jenni chuckled a bit wetly. "The Gospel according to X-Com women."

Hiloria was too weak to laugh. Sudden pain hit her from every side, from inside and out. Agony piled atop of agony. She screamed and then she was lying on something hard and harsh voices sounded all around her. She could not understand them, then one made sense.

"Are you _insane_? The module will _kill_ her!" Someone male snapped.

"Doctor Tygan, she is already _dead_." Jenni snapped right back. "This is _her_ choice! Let her _make_ it!"

The pain vanished as if it had never been and Hiloria opened her eyes to see X-Com uniforms all around her. She nodded to them and then looked at Jenni who was crying. Hiloria was lying on a table in a medical ward and she did not recognize any of the machinery. She did not look closely. It was not her place to ferret out secrets.

"How long?" Hiloria was amazed at how normal her voice sounded. She tried her right arm and it worked perfectly. "How long do I have?" She asked the unarmed personnel who all looked shocked and angry.

"Maybe a day." The bald headed, dark skinned man who seemed to be in charge said quietly. "No more."

"Enough time." Hiloria said quietly. "Colonel Kelly?" She looked and Jane stepped from the press around her. "I am going to stop Maric Shüller. Once I _do_ , I need your word, Colonel. Do _not_ let the Elders have my body." A gasp swept the room. "Burn it, destroy it, whatever you must do. _No one_ must have this. If they clone me, kill it and destroy the body."

"Hiloria..." Jane said softly.

"Your _word!_ " Hiloria demanded, rising from the table. The soldiers made way for her. "I _know_ I will not survive this. I will _not_ have my legacy be destruction I could have _stopped_. Your _word_!"

"You have it." Jane bowed her head. "On my honor. If you fall, I will destroy your body."

"When. Not if." Tygan said softly. Hiloria ignored him.

"What will you do?" Jenni asked as she stepped forward. She took Hiloria's hands and gave them a squeeze. Her hands were trembling as Hiloria returned the gesture of kindness.

"Maric Shüller is an animal that appears human." Hiloria said with a nod. "To catch an animal, you set a trap and use the right bait."

"Bait." Jenni nodded and looked at Colonel Kelly who also nodded. "I see. We know what he wants more than anything else in existence right now." Hiloria nodded.

"Me."


	19. Chapter 19

**Love**

She knelt where it had begin. The Enlightenment Center looked as it had for most for her life. But now? Everything was different. _She_ was different. She felt no different, but she was.

"Hiloria." Sister Amadri stepped into view, the elder Priest's face troubled. "I cleared the Center as you asked."

"Renas?" Hiloria asked with a tiny smile that Amadri returned.

"She took some persuasion. She is very upset." Amadri sighed deeply. "Hiloria... You are not well."

"I am _dying_ , Sister Amadri." Hiloria corrected the elder grimly. "The only question is if I can do what needs to be done before I fall." She eyed the other Priest. "When I do, my body will be destroyed. You will not interfere."

"Hiloria!" Amadri pleaded.

"All of the people I have consulted believe that I am pulling a temporal psychic resonance to myself that killed all life on Earth in a horrible future I saw in a vision." Hiloria said quietly as she watched the entrances to the courtyard that led into the Enlightenment Center. Her eyes pulled to the statue of the Elder that dominated it. "I have a chance to stop it. Stop that horror from happening. I have to take that chance."

He would come. She had told Geist to tell Shüller and while the Templar was never going to be her friend or trust her completely, they understood one another just fine. _Especially_ when Hiloria returned the three young Templars to his care alive and not tampered with in any way. Geist was hard to read, but he had bowed to her, so he did respect her some.

"Eyes on." A soft voice sounded in Hiloria's ear and she stiffened. "He is trying to be sneaky, but we have the angle on him. He is heading to the east gate."

Hiloria hadn't wanted to involve anyone else, but Jane Kelly had insisted on having a full team standing by close enough to cover her with sniper fire. Hiloria had no idea _where_ they were , but it was comforting in an odd way to have such overwatch. It had taken a lot of fast talking to get Advent forces to back off and let Hiloria and her allies deal with this. Advent troops would be wheat before a scythe against the mad Templar and Hiloria wanted to keep the mayhem to a minimum. This _was_ the middle of a city center after all. At least the streets were clear.

"Amadri, get out of here." Hiloria said with a growl as she rose. "This is my fight."

"And leave you to stand alone?" Amadri retorted, only to give a squeak as Greta and Lini appeared beside Hiloria, the cloak they had been using fading. "Wha-?"

"She does not stand alone, honored Priest." Greta said firmly as she smoothed the white tunic she wore over her armor. She did not wear the normal Templar helmet, instead her hair was bound in a circlet of woven branches. A green gem of some kind stood out on her forehead. Lini stood beside them, her battle form in black and green flickering with eerie light as she checked her plasma rifle. She nodded to Hiloria and held out a hand to the hybrid who took it. Greta laid her hand on their joined ones. "We stand together, battle sisters."

"You should still be in a bed." Hiloria shook her head as Greta made a face. "But if _I_ can be stubborn, why should you not be?"

"This ends today." Sofia said as she stepped into view, her face pale. Amadri shook her head, fear rising and Sofia laid a hand on hers. "No, gentle Priest. This is not your path. Live well, praise your Elders in peace and do what you must. This is our duty. Not yours."

"My responsibility." Hiloria said quietly. Then the com in her ear buzzed again. "Yes?"

"We have a problem." Jane's voice was terse. "Something just appeared out of nowhere and is walking with Shüller. It is not the Warlock. It looks like an Avatar."

"A _what_?" Hiloria asked, confused. "What is an Avatar?" She did not miss Amadri's sudden tension. She waved urgently for the Sister to flee, but Amadri stubbornly shook her head.

"We do not know what they are or where they come from." Jane said quietly. "But they are _bad_ news. In a few human religions, an avatar is a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth. In computer terms, it is an icon or figure representing a particular person in video games, online forums, or similar. The Elders use them to touch things in our world." Hiloria felt shock blossom.

"And you know this… how?" Hiloria demanded.

"X-Com fought one less than a week ago. It killed most of the team that encountered it." Jane sounded grim. "But this doesn't look the same as the records we have. The one we fought was purple with white hair, _this_ is white with purple hair."

"Who would…?" Hiloria paused and then nodded slowly. "Shüller. That mad Templar is many things, he is not stupid or he would not be half as dangerous as he is. He has an ally. Do you have eyes on the courtyard?"

"Yes." Jane replied calmly and did not elaborate.

"Any Advent response?" Hiloria asked.

"No." Jane snorted. "Whatever you said to them must have been convincing."

"I told them that any of them who came here would die and be used as power by that evil man. It seems they took me at my word." Hiloria shrugged, setting her white armor into place as she slid her helmet on. Lini's form morphed into a form that mirrored her, but with green and black armor instead of white.

"Could it be an Elder?" Greta asked quietly. Amadri stiffened, but relaxed when Sofia took her hand and held it gently.

"I do not think so." Hiloria said with a frown. "They have been remarkably hands off this whole time. I think they are far more worried about paradoxes than _we_ are."

"That is saying something." Sofia said weakly. "Sister Amadri, you should go." She gave the hybrid's hand a squeeze.

"If there is evil coming, Sofia, then I must confront it." Amadri said firmly. "That is what any right minded being must do." Sofia looked at her, desolation in her eyes. "Ah, child… It is my calling. I am no warrior. My days of battle are behind me, but my faith is yours for as long as I have breath." Sofia stared at her and the elderly hybrid pulled her into a hug.

"Both of you, try to stay behind us." Hiloria said with a nod as she and Greta moved to the courtyard door. Lini matched their pace, silent and stoic as only a Spectre could be.

The human Templar, the free Spectre and the hybrid who was both more and less than she had been strode into the middle of the courtyard to wait.

They did not wait long.

Hiloria did not react as the outer gate, an edifice more ornamental than functional, flew apart in a burst of purple energy.

"Knock, knock." The voice was familiar and hated. Shüller. Greta tensed, but relaxed when Hiloria glanced at her. Greta knew what to do. She was no novice.

"The gate was not locked." Hiloria called in a conversational tone. "We all know how barbaric and stupid you are, Shüller. You really do not need to _prove_ it every time you open your mouth. What is it humans say? 'It is getting old.'?" Greta snickered at her dry humor and nodded even as a pair of beings encased in purple energy appeared where the gate had been. Shüller and the Avatar.

"Hello, meat." Shüller said with obvious glee as he took in the trio waiting for him "And Greta! How nice to see you, brat. Two kills for the price of one. Always a good deal."

Greta did not speak. She flexed her wrists. Her blades shot out and then retracted. Hiloria felt the resonance surge within her as the thing beside Shüller stared at her. It had no face, just a blank visor. It positively radiated psionic power, but that power looked and felt _wrong._

"No pithy comments from the peanut gallery?" The mad Templar cackled he raised his own hands. "Feel free to attack me now, brat. I brought my own friend to the party."

"This time, you do not have a Chosen or a mob of Templars you deluded into thinking you are sane to do all the work for you." Greta said with a shake of her head. Her tone was admirably calm. "Whatever madness you have spawned, it will not be enough."

"You think that, yes. You were a tasty little thing." Shüller smiled at her and it held lust. "I think I am going to get to know you better before you get drained utterly." He grabbed his crotch and Greta did not react. Shüller looked affronted. "Oh, come on! Don't be a dead fish! You might enjoy it. Before you die and are erased from existence anyway."

"Maybe I will be erased." Great said with a snarl. "But _you_ will be dead before that. You sick, lying piece of crap."

 _ **Submit.**_ The word came from the Avatar thing and the sheer power from it rocked Hiloria back. It wasn't the Elder's power. But it _was!_ But... _wrong._ _ **It is the only way. Your only choice.**_

"No." Hiloria replied. Shüller stared at her and she ignored him. " _Who_ ever or _what_ ever you are, you are not my masters. You may serve this mad human or he may serve you. It matters not. Neither of you will touch the resonance."

 _ **You know not what you do.**_ The visor cleared for a moment and Hiloria stared at _her_ face! _**Submit. It is the only way to to stop it.**_

"That face is a lie." Hiloria said flatly even as Greta moved to stand a little closer to her. Lini did not move, her rifle was up and aimed. "There are always choices. There are always alternatives and this? No. _You_ are a lie. You go no further."

"Good." Shüller smiled wide as he raised his hand. "I was getting bored with this gibber gabber anyway."

"Glad you feel that way." Hiloria smirked as he stared at her, confused by her flippancy. She touched the com in her ear. "Now."

That was a command. Shüller screeched in pain and jumped forward as purple energy shot into being around the courtyard. A dome of pure psionic force now surrounded the courtyard. It was actually a globe, projected half underground. Hiloria smiled at Shüller's expression. The Avatar thing's visor blanked.

"Neither of you is leaving this place." Hiloria said flatly as she readied her blades. The Avatar did not move as Shüller did the same, ready to block or attack. Greta moved to flank him, Lini at her side. "Either we beat you or this psionic instability collapses and destroys us all utterly."

 _ **What have you done?**_ The Avatar demanded.

"I asked a friend for help." Hiloria said mildly. "She is not a nice woman, but Jenni Parker _is_ a good woman."

 _ **Who?**_ The Avatar seemed to recoil. _**Jenni… No… No! You didn't!**_ It screamed at her. _**No! You cannot do that!**_ _ **You will expose her too soon!**_

"You and Shüller _forced_ this conflict!" Hiloria snapped right back. "We did not wish it, but we _will_ stop it no matter the cost!"

 _ **You have destroyed us all!**_ Thee Avatar screamed and leveled its hands at Hiloria who blocked with her blades as Shüller charged Greta. She met him, force meeting equal force as the two furious Templars exchanged blows.

"You pushed this!" Hiloria snarled as the energy that had been streaming into her shields ebbed and faded. The Avatar was standing there, shaking in rage. "He wants to kill everything. What do you want?"

 _ **I wanted to stop the horror. Now I cannot.**_ The other snapped. _**You have doomed us all, you foolish child.**_

Hiloria dodged as the Avatar threw its hand forward. Not enough. Sudden energy tore through part of her. Her armor blunted the blast. Nothing could have likely stopped it. Agony tore through her as she fell, aware that her body felt wrong. One arm wasn't responding and she dreaded looking at it. She saw Greta and Shüller still exchanging blows as Lini fired at the Avatar. Then the Avatar threw the force again and Lini was caught dead center in the beam. She vanished without a sound, not even a haze of green remaining. Hiloria screamed in pain and loss as the Avatar spun to her.

"Leave her alone!" Sofia ran to place herself between the Avatar and the stricken mother. "You evil thing. Go away!" Sofia snapped, hands raised and limed with purple energy. No. Her hands were _shifting_ to energy!

"Sofia, no..." Hiloria begged, but her voice was lost in the cacophony of combat between Shüller and Greta. The Avatar let loose another monumental blast, but Sofia _absorbed it!_ The Avatar recoiled as if seeing Sofia for the first time.

"You will not harm her any more." Sofia slowly shifted a little more and then her form _shimmered._ Hiloria stared as she saw the girl she knew and loved slowly shift from the girl she knew to something far different. Her body became a purple suit and her hair flowed up and turned white as her face shifted to a blank visor. An Avatar? _Sofia_ was an _Avatar_? "You are not what you think." Sofia snarled, her hands up and shimmering with energy that was golden. "You are _not_ the Elders of your time. You are a residue. A _copy_. Mom! Sing!" She commanded.

That was not Hiloria's daughter. That voice would be obeyed. It was familiar. That voice. Hiloria knew it. She had heard it her whole life, but… not from a little human girl!

"Elders?" Hiloria pleaded. "I..."

"You did the impossible many times, Hiloria." The voice that was many and one said sadly as the two Avatars stared at each other. "Your love for your fellow sentients drove you to what you did. We hurt you so very badly with our betrayal and you _saved us ALL!_ " The Elders who were not from the present screamed the last.

"I what?" Hiloria felt her life fleeing with her remaining energy. She fought to stay conscious even as Greta finally managed to push past Shüller's guard and struck hard. The mad Templar went down in a heap and _stayed_ down.

"You knew the weapon would kill us, kill everyone." The voices from Sofia said sadly. "You understood what we in our hubris did not. We were not perfect. We thought we were. That we understood every permutation. We did not. When Shüller hurt you, you knew there was no chance for the planet, but there was for _us_. We could stop it, together."

"Sofia… She does not exist?" Hiloria pleaded.

"She _does_." This was Sofia's voice. "You created this vessel for us. For our consciousnesses. You created her, but you were so much wiser than us. You did not demand her aid. You did not threaten or cajole. You _asked_. You _begged_. She loves you and you loved _us_. How could _she_ not? She does exist and she does love you and us. She took us in, allowed us to hide until the time was right. But you know she cannot continue. _We_ cannot continue."

"The resonance must be stopped." Hiloria rolled unto her back and she relaxed as the pain faded for a moment. "I..."

"Sing Hiloria Mox. Cancel the sounds with a new one while we alter the pulses to vibrate in opposition. Sing for your life. Sing for everyone who has and may live." The voices within Sofia said as the two Avatars raised their hands in unison, aimed at one another. "In this time, in this place, we _can_ act. Our lives for _all!_ "

An amp was in the Avatar that had been Sofia's hand and there was one in the other Avatar's. Energy flared from both amps to strike midway between each other, a vast torrent of irresistible force hitting an immovable object. Hiloria was gasping as a drum sounded in her mind. Then she heard pipes. She felt Greta's strong presence beside her and the Templar knelt down, face ashen as she started at Hiloria.

"Sing Greta Durand. Sing Hiloria Mox. Sing for all who may be. Who must be." The being who was and was not Sofia said sternly. "We cannot hold this long. _Sing!_ "

Hiloria felt Greta lie down beside her and then both were singing softly.

 **Axes flash, broadsword swing,  
Shining armour's piercing ring  
Horses run with polished shield,  
Fight Those Bastards till They Yield  
Midnight mare and blood red roan,  
Fight to Keep this Land Your Own  
Sound the horn and call the cry,  
How Many of Them Can We Make Die! **

Hiloria felt her life flowing out of her in the words even as she cried. She poured every once of herself into that song, her rage, her hate, her love, her fear. All of it.

 **Follow orders as you're told,  
Make Their Yellow Blood Run Cold  
Fight until you die or drop,  
A Force Like Ours is Hard to Stop  
Close your mind to stress and pain,  
Fight till You're No Longer Sane  
Let not one damn cur pass by,  
How Many of Them Can We Make Die! **

Greta gasped once and then lay still. Hiloria stared at her and she was not breathing now. Hiloria saw rents in the woman's armor, deep ones. But Shüller was dead, his madness was stopped. Hiloria reached over to close the woman's staring eyes even as Sofia's Avatar gasped and fell to one knee, still pouring out energy that the other was matching. The other Avatar fell to one knee at the same time. Were both weakening in unison? It seemed that way.

 **Dawn has broke, the time has come,  
Move Your Feet to a Marching Drum  
We'll win the war and pay the toll,  
We'll Fight as One in Heart and Soul  
Midnight mare and blood red roan,  
Fight to Keep this Land Your Own  
Sound the horn and call the cry,  
How Many of Them Can We Make Die! **

**How Many of Them Can We Make Die!**

 **How Many of Them Can We Make Die!**

Hiloria could not see anymore. She could not open her eyes. She barely heard when a small, sad voice spoke from next to her. A small hand touched hers, trembling.

"We did it, mom." Sofia's voice was proud, but sad and weakening. "The resonance is fading."

"So...fia..." Hiloria croaked. "The… other?"

"Gone back to wherever it came from." Sofia sighed, her voice so very soft now. "I am sorry. I couldn't… I knew there was something bad, that I had to face something, but I had no idea… Mom… That was incredible. I wish..."

There was silence.

 _I love you, mom._

 _I love you too, Sofia._

* * *

When the psionic field faded, the Advent response teams found one dead Templar lying where he had fallen. Of Hiloria, Lini, Greta and Sofia, there was no sign whatsoever. Amadri was found huddled in a corner, her face covered in tears and her mind almost broken. To her dying day, she sang an odd human song at the same time every day without fail, saying it was in praise to the Elders. But how could that be? 'How many of them can we make die!' was not a hymn of praise, was it?

In the middle of the courtyard, where once a statue of an Elder has stood, now a short obelisk had been raised. No one knew how, but it had not been there when the field had gone up and was there when it came down. It had two fountains of energy beside it that would forever burn with psionic fire. One purple, one yellow. On the obelisk, a plaque was found on all four of its faces, each engraved in several human languages as well as the Elders' common tongue.

The inscriptions on each plaque were short and identical.

'Here perished Hiloria Mox. A Priest. A Mother. A Friend.

A Hero.

She died so that every sentient might live.

You are missed, beloved daughter of the Elders.'

* * *

' **March of Cambreadth ' by Heather Alexander/James Alexander**


	20. Chapter 20

**New**

Jenni Parker felt cold. That was wrong. She should have felt hot as the energy transfer from the Sectopod's beam transferred into kinetic energy on her Warden armor threw her like a rag doll away from the wall she had been cowering behind and into the small ditch that lay beside it. It was her own damn fault. She knew that. She had gotten cocky. She and Shogun had torn right through the line of Codexes and Andromedons that had blocked them and she had gotten too far ahead of the team.

She had known the moment she saw the pair of Sectopods rise that she was in trouble. But the others with it had been even more trouble. Her Void Rift added to the Commander's had torn all of the lighter enemy units to pieces, but the bots were heavily armored. Two of the mighty walkers and two heavy mechs had all targeted her at once. She hadn't had a chance. She could still hear Shogun's scream of fury and grief echoing across the battlefield as the crazy ranger threw herself into the fray. Even as Jenni's life fled, she knew this would hurt Jane more than any plasma beam or railgun round ever could. She had opened her heart and her mind to the crazy woman and found a match.

Her mind flared as memory flashed to the week prior. She had to smile as she recalled the last time she had gotten Jane drunk. It had taken quite a bit, but she managed to trick the ranger into Karaoke. The looks on everyone's faces had been well worth the beating Jane had given her in sparring the next day.

A shadow fell over Jenni and she stared up at face that once she would have spit on. Pratal Mox had a nanomedikit in hand, but she could see from his posture, he knew it was useless. He knelt down anyway.

 _Don't waste it._ Jenni sent to the hybrid who had become one of the cornerstones of X-Com's fighting force. A friend. _You will need it._

He stared at her and then bowed his head. The team had known this was going to be bad on toast. One did _not_ enter the Elder's hidden sanctum without planning on casualties. But no one had expected _this_ level of resistance.

" _ **HAZARD!**_ " Jane wrenched off her helmet and went to her knees beside her best friend and bondmate. "No! No! No! Not you! _Not now! We are so close! No!_ _You can't die! You can't leave me_ _alone!_ " Jenni couldn't talk, but she could still communicate, for the moment.

 _You will go on._ Jenni sent to her mate. _Kill them, Jane. Kill them all. But don't..._ _Promise me you w_ _on't lose yourself. Remember Hiloria. She lost everything and never gave up. Don't… don't give up, Jane..._

She was so tired now. She had to close her eyes. She heard Jane scream her name once more and then there was silence. She heard muted bangs and booms, rumbles and other noises she could not define. She was so tired and…

Someone was pulling her.

Here she was, dying and someone was _pulling_ her? Was this some alien freak coming to take her to some kind of twisted psi dream or something? Was she to be a lab experiment?

 _No._ The voice was in her head and it was familiar. She could not place it. It was soft and gentle, that voice. _We will take care of you, Jenni Parker._

 _Shogun…_ Jenni begged as whoever was pulling her picked her up. _Help._

 _She is busy._ The other said gently. _She believes you slain. She needs the rage to help her Commander defeat the Elders. This is regrettable, but it is needed._ _They have lost their way. Genocide is_ **never** _the only choice._

 _Just let me die._ Jenni pleaded. _I don't want to be dissected. I don't want to be a plaything for some alien freak_ _or dissolved into green goo_ _._

 _That will not happen._ The other reassured her. _You do not remember me?_ The voice sounded a little hurt now.

 _No._ Jenni replied, uneasy. Whoever held her now had something warm wrapped around her, It was very gentle but she heard sounds that worried her. Rumbles. Whines. Noises that defied easy description but that she associated with Advent transport engines. Advent. Oh no. They were taking her! _No, please! JANE!_ She screamed in her mind.

"It is all right!" An audible voice reassured her as Jenni was laid down on something hard. It wasn't anyone Jenni knew. "We have her! GO!"

Jenni gasped as sudden pain flared through her.

"Buffering now." The voice she did not know spoke again and the pain vanished. "Get us to base ASAP. She needs care now."

"How is she?"A worried female voice sounded from nearby, but when Jenni looked, she saw a blank metal wall. It also wasn't anyone Jenni knew. She sounded young, but… not.

"She took a hit from a _Sectopod_ , how do you _think_ she is?" The first voice that had spoken to her replied with a lot of snark. The voice was familiar, but not. "But she is alive and we will keep her that way.

"I cannot be alive." Jenni said weakly. "I died. I bled out. Jane..." She tried to move and couldn't.

"You won't be able to move. The bolts hit you hard and there is a lot of damage. But we can help." The other reassured her. "Then we need yours. Rest now. You are safe. We have you, Jenni Parker." She heard someone start singing. It sounded like 'Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow...'

She knew that voice too! But from where?

"What do you-" She was asleep before she could finish the thought.

* * *

Some time later

Jenni woke up on a bed she did not know in a room that she did not know. The walls were white metal and oddly curved. She stared down at herself. She wore an odd blue and gray jumpsuit uniform with a _very_ familiar insignia on her shoulder. X-Com. But…

"Ah, you are awake." A voice preceded a door Jenni hadn't seen open and a form stepping in. A form she knew. But it was impossible! The female hybrid carried a tray and wore a white robes. She too had the same insignia on her shoulder. The face… Jenni froze, every fiber protesting this impossibility..

"Hiloria?" Jenni asked, scared. "Hiloria Mox?"

"Yeah. I know." Hiloria set the tray on a table that extruded from the wall in time for her to do so and moved to Jenni's bedside. She held out hand to Jenni. "Here. Feel." Jenni took the offered hand in a trembling one and the hybrid sent a gentle feeling to her. Love, compassion and worry mixed with a bit of fear and...anticipation? _It is me, Jenni. I know you are confused and you have_ _e_ _very right to be._

"You… you died." Jenni said weakly. "I... I went to the memorial… I prayed for you there."

It had taken quite a bit of doing, but both Jenni _and_ Jane had managed to get in and more importantly _out_ of the city center where the Enlightenment Center was situated. The memorial there had become a sort of pilgrimage for all sorts of people. Advent security was lighter there than almost anywhere else. It was almost as if the Elders considered that place neutral ground. Almost.

Only once had _anyone_ dared to try to defile that memorial. That drunken human vandal's body was found the next day just outside the courtyard in three pieces. No one said _anything_ , especially when it was determined the cuts had been made by a sword sharper than anything forged on Earth.

"I did." Hiloria gave Jenni's hand a squeeze. "But I got better."

"This is not a _joke_ , Hiloria!" Jenni snapped, anger rising to the fore. "I… I was hit." She patted her chest and nothing hurt. Nothing.

"You were killed." Hiloria was still so gentle. "But before that, you used the Hypervital module."

"I…" Jenni paused and then nodded. "Yes. I had taken injuries in my previous mission. I was needed. Yeah. I did. What…? What does _that_ have to do with the fact that I _died_?"

"Organic forms react _oddly_ to elerium radiation, Jenni." Hiloria held Jenni's hand as the woman stared at her. "X-Com _still_ doesn't understand all of the side effects, but they are finding out all kinds of weirdness. _I_ took a Null Lance that vaporized half of my body. _You_ took a direct hit from a Sectopod. In both of our cases, our bodies did not fail until _after_ the elerium radiation from the Hypervital module had worn off." Jenni slumped and Hiloria nodded, her face falling. "You would have lived in a kind of stupor until the Elder's fortress crumbled. Then you might have lived for a while as your body sank to the sea floor. Maybe. Maybe not. I am glad the rescue team got you first. They pulled you free of the wreckage your team left in their wake, pulled you here and healed your wounds. They saved you."

"Who?" Jenni asked.

"The same people who pulled _me_ away as Sofia's body faded into nothing." Hiloria said sadly. "The same people who treated my wounds and offered me a job." She tapped the patch on her shoulder. Jenni stared at it, dumbfounded.

" _You_...are _working_ … for _X-Com_?" Jenni felt faint.

"Technically, I am a consultant. A psychological specialist. I help soldiers deal with the traumas they endure. Everyone knew you would need help just as I did." Hiloria smiled at Jenni's befuddled expression. "That is why I was here when you woke up. A friendly face helps a great deal after such a trauma. Milodi was very gentle with me, so I can do no less for you."

"And you are _okay_ with this?" Jenni demanded.

"Mostly." Hiloria admitted. "I have good days and bad. This is _not_ how I planned to spend my life, but… Jenni. I do good work here and no one looks at me funny for being a hybrid."

"Where are we?" Jenni asked suddenly, staring at the walls. "This is not a normal hospital room."

"Are you sure you want to know right now?" Hiloria was totally serious, no humor at all. "You are stressed. You just _died_ and came _back_ , for god's sake! Give yourself time, woman!"

"Where are we?" Jenni demanded.

"Do not move." Hiloria said flatly as she stepped to the wall. "You are perfectly safe. I am going to open the armored shutters."

"What do you-?" Jenni began as Hiloria hit a panel the human hadn't seen and then she made an 'eep' noise as the wall split horizontally halfway down. Part went up, part went down, but Jenni barely noticed. She stared at the yellow ball of gas in the distance with the wide multicolored rings that surrounded it. The scene was totally familiar, but far closer than any human she had known had any right to be. "I… Saturn?"

Her voice was mostly a squeak and Hiloria moved to her bedside, taking her hand again.

"Yes." Hiloria said quietly. "You are aboard the Alan Weir Memorial Medical Station. If you look to the left, you will see the Zharkov coming out of shadow. They are on guard duty at the moment."

Jenni jerked and stared as a grey thing slid into view. Some kind of spacecraft? It looked square and blocky, far too blocky to be alien construction. But the symbol on its side was very familiar.

"X-Com." Jenni felt faint and Hiloria held her hand. "X-Com has _ships_ and a _space station_? We _won_?"

"Ships, a station and lots more. You won." Hiloria looked pensive for a moment and Jenni stared at her. "The Elders are gone."

"I am sorry, Hiloria." Jenni flushed. "I mean, I am not, but I am. You served them all your life. That loss..."

"I am not going to lie, Jenni." Hiloria wasn't looking at Jenni. She was staring off into the distance as the gray ship passed in front of the window and vanished. "It is bad. I wake up crying a lot. I don't think the psychological trauma of what happened will ever go away. Between losing them, losing Sofia, seeing Greta and Lini die... I remember Sofia, Greta and Lini so they are not gone entirely. It hurts. It always will. But I think this is what the Elders would have wanted me to do. Help people." She smiled a little. "And sometimes, I can do things that make all the pain and grief worthwhile."

"This did not happen overnight." Jenni said slowly. "How long?"

"It happened very quickly once the Lady and X-Com buried the hatchet as you humans say." Hiloria smiled at Jenni's sudden expression of 'Oh!'. "She still doesn't entirely trust them, hence why I am a consultant instead a soldier. The Lady is incredibly slow to trust."

"Hard to blame her." Jenni sighed and relaxed. "How long?"

"It has been ten years since the Elder's fortress fell, Jenni." Hiloria said quietly. "They had to build the tech and test it. I have been here for a year and a half. I am happy to see you."

"Likewise." Jenni gave Hiloria's hand a squeeze. "So… why? Why me? Why now?"

"Three reasons. One, like me, you are a psi, a very powerful one. Two? You used the Hypervital module and perished before the effects wore off. Your body was not recoverable before extraction." Hiloria said quietly. "That meant once they had the tech in place, they could grab your body before it failed completely without causing a paradox."

"But… why?" Jenni did not quite beg that. "Why is X-Com is still here? Who are they -we- fighting?"

" _That_ is a discussion for another day. Today will be stressful enough, but I hope in a good way. Right now? You have a meeting that I worked hard to set up." Hiloria said firmly as she touched something one the side of her head. "She is ready. You can come in now."

"Can I beg off?" Jenni pleaded. "I was dead. I don't feel so good."

"You are going to feel much better in a moment." Hiloria had a grin on her face as she moved away from the bed, to the wall again. She tapped the panel and the glorious view was replaced by drab white. "You never asked about the third reason. I kept my word."

Jenni stared at the hybrid, confused. Then the door opened and her eyes were drawn to a pair of young woman who stepped in, their faces anxious. They seemed odd, almost ageless. They were not young, but not old either. She didn't know them, did she? The third person to enter, she _did_ know!

"Jane?" Jenni felt her eyes burn as Jane Kelly stared at her, tears falling. Her best friend's face was older, more scarred and lined with both age and worry, but it was her! Only... The Shogun she knew wouldn't have _ever_ cried in public. Was this public? Both young women had glistening eyes as well.

"Jenni." Jane's voice was hushed. "They _told_ me. I didn't _believe_. I..."

"Hard to blame you." Hiloria said gently. "Any of you. This is more than a little unbelievable. The Lady was happy to help, Jane Kelly. The feelings we get from you four are more than enough recompense for the expenditure of energy. This seems a private moment. I will be outside. Be well, my friends." She turned to the door but paused as Jane snarled.

"You go _anywhere_ and I _will_ kick your _ass_ , Hiloria Mox!" Jane snapped. Hiloria glared at the human, but her heart wasn't in it as the two young women and Jenni started to laugh.

"I had my doubts, but _that_ was pure Shogun." Jenni said as she fought for control. She managed and then eyed the two women. "My name is Jenni Parker. You are?"

The two young women eyed each other and then stepped forward. They wore rank insignia that Jenni did not know. One took her right hand, the other her left. The one on her right spoke first.

"My name is Maya Parker." The girl said quietly as Jenni gaped. Her head shot to the Hiloria who smiled.

"My name is Mina Parker." The other said quietly. Both were crying as Jenni started to sob and they both embraced her.

"Hello Mom."

* * *

Hiloria had to smile as Jenni broke down and cried, both younger woman holding her, their tears mixing with hers. The feelings from the three were... She had no words.

"You did it. You kept your word even after everything. You _know_ what she will say." Jane said quietly. Hiloria nodded and the X-Com soldier shook her head. "Same thing _you_ did. Silly woman. You had a chance to get _out_ of this mess. Maybe have a real life."

"Jane, you are a warrior." Hiloria said quietly. "I am not. My strengths may not equate to much out here in deep space, but what I can do, I will. The Lady knows she cannot win alone any more than X-Com can. We may not like each other or trust each other, but we need each other. Hence why she and Milodi pulled me and Jenni out of time. It took a lot."

"I can only guess what it took." Jane Kelly said quietly. "I honestly don't know what to say. 'Thank you' seems so inadequate. I mourned her. I moved on. Then Maya, Mina, Sam, the other kids… Hiloria, I cannot _do_ this. I cannot do it anymore." She slumped a bit.

"Jane..." Hiloria sighed and laid a hand on the trembling human's shoulder. "Perhaps it is time to lay down the burden? You have shouldered a responsibility that would have given _anyone_ pause, Jane. Even the Elders might have balked at what you did. What your Commander demanded of you." Rage sounded in her tone now. "He could have taken it. It was his job."

"Was." Jane sighed as Jenni and the girls stared at the pair. "It is all right, Jenni, girls. Hiloria and I don't agree on a lot of things."

"Putting it mildly." Mina quipped. She flushed under Jane's glare. "Sorry, Commander. That is the truth."

" _Commander_?" Jenni gulped. Jane and Hiloria stared at each other and then shared a sigh. Both girls looked ashen.

" _Nicely done_ , Flight Lieutenant." Jane said sourly as Mina winced. "I couldn't have shoved your foot into your mouth better than that. Yeah, Jenni." Jane Kelly stepped to the bedside and took Jenni's hand in her own. "That is my rank now. I am in command of the defense of the Sol System. Earth's survival is now my responsibility."

"Not alone." Hiloria said from where she stood. Jane looked at her and frowned, but then nodded.

"It is bad, isn't it?" No one moved and Jenni shook her head. Her voice turned silky with promise. "Jane, don't lie to me or I will tell them about the handcuffs."

Everyone stared as Jane Kelly, ultimate X-Com ranger and badass extraordinaire, blushed bright red and started to _choke_. Hiloria had a hand over her mouth, but it did not muffle her laugh.

"Hand..." Mina started, confused. Jane glared at her and she froze like a deer in headlights.

"...cuffs?" Maya completed when her sister broke off. Jane's glare hit her full force and she too froze.

"Oh, yeah." Jenni smiled wide as Jane shook her head savagely. "You see, Jane wasn't all that keen on trying new things. Matter of fact, when I first met her, you probably would have called her _boring_."

" _Jenni_..." Jane warned. Jenni ignored her ire with the skill of long practice.

"Hush, Jane." Jenni said with a grin. "You see girls, Jane had never, _ever_..." She gave a squeak as Jane stepped forward and slapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were crinkled with humor as she stared at Jane who was shaking her head.

"I had forgotten just how incorrigible you are. You shameless little _hussy_." Jane was frowning, but the ends were turning up as Jenni snickered from behind her hand. She shook her head and gave in. "Yeah, Jenni. It is bad. The Elder's enemies have arrived. We are outnumbered, outgunned, outclassed in almost every way. They push our defense back daily. There are many who are contemplating surrender, even if it means extinction. Which it might. I do what I can, but-"

Jenni reached up and pulled the woman's hand away from her face. Then she jerked up fast and kissed Jane hard on the mouth. Jane recoiled, but not far.

"Thanks! I _needed_ that." Jenni grinned as Jane blushed again. Her voice turned serious. "Hiloria, do we have a chance?" Jenni asked into the utter silence that fell.

"Yes." Hiloria replied. "They are many and powerful, but they lack our skill with psi powers. It is not a good correlation of forces, but we _do_ have a chance. The Lady and her people stand with X-Com. That is better odds than you had against the Elders."

"Then we make the choice X-Com always has." Jenni held out a hand to Hiloria who stepped to take it. The other arm hugged Jane as Maya and Mina snuggled in close.

"We _fight_."


End file.
